Actor Eric Bauza, the Emmy-winning voice behind next-generation Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and a host of other Looney Tunes characters in dozens of cartoons and movies, has died at 46 years old.
His family announced his sudden death on his Instagram account late Sunday (Oct 25).
“Eric Bauza, Emmy Award-winning voice actor and the modern voice of iconic Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with dozens of other beloved cartoon characters, has passed away suddenly,” the post read. “More details to come.”
He died at home Sunday of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed.
The Toronto-born Los Angeles resident was a lifelong animation aficionado with a particular affinity for Looney Tunes characters that started when he was a child, he told NBC News in 2021.
Of Filipino heritage, Bauza was struck by how the cartoons’ physical comedy transcended “all languages and all cultures,” he told the network.
Bauza began in Hollywood by designing characters, according to the bio on his agency SBV Talent, then morphed to voicing them, becoming one of the most in-demand voice actors in the business.
Bauza was behind not only Bugs and Daffy but also Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Charlie the Dog and numerous other characters in this year’s Coyote Vs. Acme.
He racked up more than 400 film and television acting credits, winning three Children’s & Family Emmy Awards and a Behind the Voice Actors award. He was in pre-production on Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical as Daffy Duck and The Dragon Masters as The Shogun King when he died, Variety reported.
“Eric Bauza was a unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world,” Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks Chairman Channing Dungey told Variety in a statement.
“He followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc. Eric said that carrying on the legendary legacy of the Looney Tunes was among the greatest honors of his life.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
