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In recent years, Eric Bauza had become one of the most successful and popular voice-over artists in the business, including his command of the entire library of Bugs Bunny and other “Looney Tunes” characters. But there
was one iconic show that had eluded him until recently: “The Simpsons.”
Bauza recently made that dream come true — and his “The Simpsons” premiere is set to take place on Nov. 15 on Fox, with the episode “Dream Scenari-Moe.” But sadly, Bauza’s “Simpsons” debut is now posthumous, following his death Sunday at the age of 46. Bauza’s passing, a result of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, stunned the animation community — including “The Simpsons” writers who had just worked with him.
“The Simpsons” co-exec producer Cesar Mazariegos, who is the co-showrunner of the episode, shares that Bauza plays two characters: restaurateur “Mr. Fong” and newspaper editor “Harry Metsali.”
“Everything people have said about Eric, before and after his untimely passing, is absolutely true,” Mazariegos told Variety. “He was so funny, kind, creative and just immensely talented. We reached out to him to play two New-Yorky characters for our ‘Dream Scenari-Moe’ episode, and he knocked it out of the park. He seamlessly dipped in and out of dozens of voices, both to give us options and just hilariously riffing while off-mic. He signed our Wall-of-Fame and drew an amazingly rendered Bugs Bunny on it. That’s how we found out he started as an animator! He was such a longtime fan of animation and kept saying that he felt like the luckiest guy in the world.”
Mazariegos said Bauza came in to record in two sessions, and that they had recently bumped into him at last month’s Creative Arts Emmys. Also, exec producer Matt Selman had just seen Bauza at another event last week.
“He was absolutely someone we were excited to have come in again and again, and then we heard the news. It was such a shock,” Mazariegos said. “His passing just checks off so many boxes that make this such a devastating loss. To his young family, to a generation of animation fans, to an industry that’s being hobbled by greed and AI. We join his countless friends, colleagues and fans in mourning his loss.”
Bauza was heard in this year’s “Coyote vs. Acme” as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Charlie the Dog and others. But he had more than 400 acting credits to his name, including “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Chowder,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated,” “Fanboy & Chum Chum,” “Ben 10 Omniverse” and, in 2026 alone, “Chibiverse,” “Minions & Monsters,” “Forgotten Island,” “Rick and Morty,” “Superkitties” and “Avatar: Seven Havens,” among others.
Besides Bauza, “Dream Scenari-Moe” guest voices also include Meg Ryan (who plays “Sam”) and “Saturday Night Live” cast member James Austin Johnson as “Dr. De La Manana.” Here’s the logline to the episode: “When Moe has trouble sleeping, he enrolls in a brand new sleep study that gives him the greatest romantic comedy dreams of his life. But unbeknownst to him, his beautiful fantasy comes at a nightmarish price.”
“The Simpsons” recently made headlines for another big voice-over headline: The return of Apu, now voiced by Sunil Malhotra. In an Instagram post this week, Malhotra shared the congratulatory note that Bauza had sent him when the Apu casting news was revealed, as well as a photo from the first time they met.
“A picture from when Eric Bauza and I first met,” he wrote. “It was on a panel for animation students at LMU in 2017. He was already a legend, and I was in awe of him. And he was a fellow Asian American, someone truly to look up to. But the thing about Eric was, in addition to his enormous talent, he had boundless generosity and grace. He made me feel like a peer. Over the years, we’d gotten to work together a few times and it was always ridiculous fun. We alternated between talking about being boy dads and then just being silly with each other. The next picture is the last time I talked to Eric. He had just messaged me on Tuesday with the most beautiful congratulations on my new role. That text was so emblematic of his generosity and kindness. As much as we all will miss him, his talent, his laugh, his warmth, I can only imagine the loss his family must be feeling. I’m sending them all my love. The world is an unfair place. But it was a little brighter, better and funnier when Eric was here. I will miss him.”
