Voice Actor Eric Bauza Has Died at 46

The world of entertainment is in shock this morning following the news that voice actor Eric Bauza has passed away. He was 46 years old.

The death of Bauza, with more than 400 voice actor credits in his career over the last 25 years, was announced on Sunday night by his family. A post on Instagram read:

"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. More details to come." According to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner notes obtained by Variety, Bauza's death was due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Bauza was best known as the modern Mel Blanc, voicing many of the classic Looney Tunes characters for Warner Bros., including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, and more. Bauza's career had just hit something of a high point after the release of Coyote vs. ACME, a Looney Tunes film that was finally released after spending years on the shelf.

In addition to work with Looney Tunes, Bauza was a frequent voice actor for many Disney characters as well. He performed the voice of Luke Skywalker in several recent animated LEGO projects. He voiced Reggie on the popular series Kiff. Bauza's Disney resume also includes The Owl House, DuckTales, Spidey and his Amazing Friends, and Muppet Babies, for which Bauza received three of his five Daytime Emmy nominations.

Bauza also worked on Phineas and Ferb for Disney. Fellow voice actor on the series Vincent Martella responded to the announcement of Bauza passing, saying: "I’m in complete shock and disbelief. A tremendously talented and kind coworker who I always had great conversations with and learned from. Sending so much love to his family. He was a giant. A titan in our industry."

Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire added: "Oh my god! This is devastating! I was just thinking about him this morning and what a huge upturn his career has had with the success of Coyote versus Acme. and what a great guy he is, and how happy I was that he was getting recognized for his immense talent. I am speechless."

The world of animation has lost a truly talented individual, while many in that industry have lost a friend.