Eric Bauza (1979-2026)

This is lousy news to start the week with. It has been announced that the award-winning and much-loved voice actor Eric Bauza has passed away. He was just 46. He died as a result of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, according to medical records. The animation community is in shock.

Bauza is known for a long voice-acting career, stretching back to 2001. But he is perhaps best known for his spot-on turns as popular Looney Tunes characters. He has voiced Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, as well as Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Roadrunner and more. His performances have appeared in Looney Tunes Cartoons, The Day The Earth Blew Up, Space Jam: A New Legacy and this year's Coyote Vs Acme.

He was very much considered a real talent and part of the new generation of voice actors. For him to be gone so suddenly is desperately sad. He will be missed both by fans and by the voice acting community, which is extremely tight-knit.

In total, he had over 400 credits to his name. He appeared in everything from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Book Of Life, DuckTales (2017), Animaniacs (2020), Adventure Time, Phineas and Ferb, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Muppet Babies, The Owl House, Harley Quinn, Blue Eye Samurai, Star Trek Lower Decks, Teen Titans Go! and Rick and Morty. He also lent his voice to numerous video games, including Marvel's Spider-Man, High On Life, Date Everything and Looney Tunes: Wacky World Of Sports. His voice can also be heard in recent releases like Avatar: Seven Havens, President Curtis,  Forgotten Island and Golden Axe.

If you've watched mainstream animation at all in the last 25 years, it's unlikely that you wouldn't have watched something Bauza has appeared in. He was extremely prolific and played a wide variety of voices. He leaves behind a remarkable legacy.

Bauza was born in Canada. He actually began his career as an animator, working as a character designer at a Hollywood studio. He worked in the animation department on several projects, alongside his burgeoning career as a voice actor, until around 2011.

During his career, he was nominated for five Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on Muppet Babies, Looney Tunes Cartoons and The Adventures Of Puss In Boots. He was the winner of three Children & Family Emmy Awards for Teen Titans Go, Bugs Bunny Builders and Looney Tunes Cartoons. He was also nominated for Daffy In Wackyland.

He leaves behind a wife and child, many friends and a legion of fans. He will certainly be missed, and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time. Rest in peace, sir.