Iconic Voice Actor Dead At 46

Eric Bauza, the voice actor behind the modern-day Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, among other iconic animated characters, has died at age 46, according to his family and official health records. https://t.co/ysRcP3NxqR pic.twitter.com/XPti5biiaU

— CNN (@CNN) October 26, 2026

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Beginning in 2001, Bauza amassed more than 400 voice acting credits in a career that gave voice to beloved characters in animated Looney Tunes series including “Puss in Boots,” “Muppet Babies,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” and countless others. He won three Children’s and Family Emmy Awards, from 2022 to 2025.

“Looney Tunes will always have a special place in my heart,” Bauza said in an interview with The Associated Press this year. “I watched them on Saturday mornings originally. It’s not just the voice but the overall aesthetic has influenced me as an artist.”

Raised in Scarborough, Ontario by Filipino immigrant parents, Bauza found his passion for voice acting as a teenager. In high school, he would deliver the P.A. system morning announcements in various cartoon voices.

In voicing Looney Tunes characters, Bauza faithfully and reverentially channeled Mel Blanc. So great was his affection for Blanc that, in conversation, he would even toss out an impression of Blanc outside the recording booth. Bauza last year told The New York Times: “Mel Blanc is like the voice of God for me.”

Bauza’s Looney Tunes work included such feature films as “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021), “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” (2024) and this year’s “Coyote vs. Acme.” That film, in which Wile E. Coyote takes the Acme Corporation to court for its defective products, became a modest cause célèbre after Warner Bros. opted not to release it.

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"Looney Tunes" Eric Bauza, voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, has died at 46. https://t.co/KIXyZ7NuDd pic.twitter.com/qfx1aBdwkx

— TMZ (@TMZ) October 26, 2026

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According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Eric died Sunday at his home from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, a heart condition linked to high blood pressure. His death was ruled natural.

Sleep apnea and class 2 obesity were also noted as significant conditions.

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