expression, pre-noun adjectival
Fixed pre-noun expression used to refer to someone who has passed away, often with a nostalgic or respectful tone. Literally 'now departed'.
今は亡き祖父がよくこの公園に連れてきてくれた。
My late grandfather often brought me to this park.
今は亡き友を思い出すと胸が熱くなる。
My heart warms when I remember my departed friend.
A general verb meaning 'to pass away'; 今は亡き is a fixed attributive phrase used only before nouns.
A prefix meaning 'the late'; 今は亡き is more literary and carries a stronger sense of nostalgia.
A fixed phrase composed of 今 (now), the topic particle は, and the classical attributive form 亡き (dead) of the verb 亡し (modern 亡い). The expression fossilized as a pre-noun modifier.