Carl Macek, long time animation producer and co-founder of Streamline Pictures has passed away from an apparent heart attack suffered last Saturday Macek was 59 at the time of his passing and was known for creating the controversial and polarizing Robotech franchise as well as founding Spumco with John Kricfalusi of Ren & Stimpy fame.

Many long-time anime fans know Macek best for his work with Streamline Pictures, where he along with Jerry Beck brought over many highly regarded anime to the US such as Akira, Fist of the North Star and Laputa as well as his later post-Streamline work with ADV on Aura Battler Dunbine and with VIZ Media on the English language adaptations of Bleach and Naruto, respectively.

Before his untimely passing, Macek was working on a slate of original projects and had recently discussed his projects this past January during a fan convention in San Francisco.