Eric Bauza, Voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Dies at 46
Seven Lights
Eric Bauza, the Emmy-winning voice actor who gave voice to Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and much of the rest of the Looney Tunes pantheon, died on Sunday, according to his manager. He was 46.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner said Mr. Bauza, who was born in Canada, died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease. His family posted a brief statement on Instagram and said more details would come later.
“Eric was a unique and versatile voice actor who was loved by everyone he knew and worked with,” his manager, Judy Coppage, said. “His sudden passing is a shock to all of us, and he will be deeply missed. It’s a profound loss for his family, the animation industry and his fans.”
Mr. Bauza spent 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation. Beyond Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, he voiced Porky Pig, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety Bird and the Road Runner, and took roles in the most recent Space Jam film, alongside LeBron James. His more than 400 screen credits also included Avatar: The Last Airbender, Puss in Boots, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Woody Woodpecker, Bob’s Burgers and Teen Titans Go!
A statement from Warner Bros. chairman Channing Dungey and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation president Bill Damaschke said Mr. Bauza “brought joy and laughter to millions around the world” and noted his impact on the Looney Tunes franchise.
In 2021 Mr. Bauza told NBC News he believed he was the first person of color to voice Bugs Bunny in the Looney Tunes cartoons, a distinction that drew a strong response from the Asian American community, of which he was part. He said his favorite character to voice was Bugs Bunny, but that as he grew older he felt more like Daffy Duck.
His death ends a fifteen-year tenure in which one actor carried, at once, several of the most famous comic voices in American animation.