Eric Bauza, the three-time Emmy-winning voice actor who brought Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and dozens of other cartoon icons to life for a modern generation, died Sunday, his family announced. He was 46.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, Bauza died at his home of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, Vulture and ABC News reported. His family shared the news in a statement posted to his Instagram page on Oct. 25, writing that the performer “passed away suddenly.”
Born in Toronto in 1979 to Filipino immigrant parents, Bauza grew up watching classic animation with his father and grandfather, according to Vulture. He began working in the animation industry in 2001 and landed an early breakout voice role in 2003 as Stimpy on “Ren & Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon,” Fox News reported. Over a career spanning more than two decades, Bauza accumulated more than 400 credits across television series, feature films and video games.
Carrying on an Animation Legacy
Bauza began his work with Warner Bros. animation in 2011 by voicing Marvin the Martian. He eventually took over the majority of the principal Looney Tunes stable originally voiced by legendary actor Mel Blanc, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn and the Road Runner.
In a 2020 interview with Fox News Digital, Bauza paid homage to Blanc, calling him “the godfather of voiceover” who proved the artistic weight of voice performance. Reflecting on Bugs Bunny, Bauza noted that the character resonated because he was a Brooklyn- and Bronx-accented streetwise trickster who represented “the everyman, the every rabbit.”
Bauza’s feature film appearances included “Space Jam: A New Legacy” in 2021, “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” in 2024 and this year’s “Coyote vs. Acme,” in which he voiced multiple characters, including the Road Runner. His extensive résumé also featured roles in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Transformers: Robots in Disguise” and “Woody Woodpecker,” OK! Magazine reported.
Bauza won three Children’s and Family Emmy Awards, taking home his first in 2022 for “Looney Tunes Cartoons” before earning additional honors for “Bugs Bunny Builders” and “Teen Titans Go!”, according to Vulture. Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter named Bauza to its 2026 Animation Power List, describing him as having “quietly become the voice of an entire cartoon universe,” ABC News reported.
Tributes From Across the Industry
Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman Channing Dungey and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation President and Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke praised the actor in a joint statement, calling him a “unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world,” according to OK! Magazine. The executives noted that Bauza considered carrying on the Looney Tunes tradition “among the greatest honors of his life.”
Fellow voice actors also shared tributes online. Actor Robbie Daymond, whose wedding Bauza officiated, called him “one of the most talented, kind, compassionate, lovable, giving, and wonderful people I’ve ever known,” adding that “the world will be a dimmer place for his loss,” OK! Magazine reported.
Bauza’s vocal work is scheduled to appear posthumously in the animated short “Daffy Season,” which will accompany the theatrical release of “The Cat in the Hat” on Nov. 6, OK! Magazine reported. He also provided voice work for the television production “Avatar: Seven Havens,” according to Vulture.
