Canadian voice actor Eric Bauza, who portrayed Looney Tunes characters, dead at 46

Emmy Award-winning Canadian voice actor Eric Bauza has died. He lent his talents to some of the most beloved characters in animation history, including Looney Tunes stalwarts Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Phew! There we go. And I'm the new voice of Bugs Bunny. What's up, Doc? It's hot out there. Wonder if this joint has any boxed carrot water. I'm sure this nice homeowner won't mind sharing his pool with the local wildlife. It is remarkable seeing him work and such a tragedy because so well known in the Toronto area where he grew up. Right. But also young. 46 years old, which is why, in addition to the fact that it is such a loss of a very talented and kind person, according to those who really knew him and loved him, he was so young and died so suddenly. His family posted a message on his Instagram page saying he died suddenly and that more details were to come. This morning, we have learned from the L.A. County Medical Examiner that he died at his home of hypertensive cardiovascular disease. And as people process this tragedy, they are now reflecting on his legacy and his career. They are standing with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. He said at the time it was a dream come true to be the voice of such iconic Looney Tunes characters. In fact, lending his voice to not only Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, there was also a long list of other characters, Tweety Bird even. And that earned him three Emmys. He actually spoke to The National back in 2020 when he first landed the role as the voice of Bugs Bunny. There's a photo of myself wearing this Bugs Bunny shirt that I purchased from Six Flags Magic Mountains. It was grade eight. If I could go back in time and tell young Eric that I would be voicing Bugs Bunny in my later years. I think my reaction would be, eh, whatever, Doc. I wouldn't believe it. I think it's just something that you just don't expect. Who grows up thinking that they're going to voice Bugs Bunny? Not a lot of people. Bauza was a Filipino-Canadian, grew up in Scarborough, which is in the east end of Toronto. It was his career in animation that brought him to the United States, eventually led to his very successful career as a sought-after voice actor. More than 400 credits to his name. I got to say, I mean, I met him a couple of years ago. He was talking about a documentary that's still on CBC Gem that he was involved in. So many projects out there and so many people are thinking about him today. Yeah, just scrolling through the post on his Instagram page, there's so much reaction, including from those within the industry, those who were just fans of him. Such heartbreak for so many who are so shocked by this news. I want to read you this note from Adam Rosette. He's a director saying, I'm absolutely devastated. Eric was my first friend when I moved to LA in 2010. We shared a desk at a small animation studio, drawing and laughing constantly. I'll never forget the day he left to pursue voice acting full time and watching him go on to become an absolute legend. Voice actor Jim Cummings, who's the voice behind Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Tasmanian Devil, saying, I'm at a loss for words. Such a young, kind man. And Eden Riegel, a daytime Emmy-winning actor and voice actor and voice director, saying, My heart is broken. This man was staggeringly talented, but unbelievably, his talent was dwarfed by his kindness. It was a privilege to know and work with him. He lifted everyone up. Just being in his presence made you feel like you were on top of the world. Marianne, thank you very much.