Eri Kawai, a singer and songwriter for the Aria series, has passed away Monday August 4, 2008 according to her website. The singer passed away after battling illness since earlier this year, and her hospitalization caused her to cancel a live performance last month.

Kawai was an amazing singer and songwriter who got her start in 1991 auditioning with Kitty Records. Her first album was released in 1996. Her songs can be heard in many anime and live action works including Aria The Animation, Utawarerumono, and Bamboo Blade.

As you can probably tell from my post avatar, I'm a big fan of the Aria anime and manga. While Athena was not my favorite character I absolutely adored her voice. "Barcarolle," Athena's signature song that featured Kawai as vocals, was a hauntingly beautiful piece that I still cannot stop listening to. She will be missed.

Source: Anime News Network