Eric Bauza, the "Looney Toons" actor whose many voices kept Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other cartoon favorites on screens for a new generation, has died at 46.
His family announced his death in an Oct. 25 Instagram post, saying he "has passed away suddenly."
Bauza died at his residence Oct. 25 from hypertensive cardiovascular disease
, The New York Times reported, citing the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office."Eric was a unique and versatile voice actor who was loved by everyone he knew and worked with," his manager Judy Coppage told CBS Los Angeles. "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."
USA TODAY reached out to his manager
for a comment.
What is hypertensive cardiovascular disease?
Hypertensive heart disease develops when prolonged high blood pressure damages the heart, according to Cleveland Clinic. The strain can thicken and weaken the heart muscle, potentially leading to complications including heart failure, irregular heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death.
'Looney Toons' actor Eric Bauza won Emmys for cartoon voices
Bauza grew up in Ontario, Canada, where his father and grandfather helped introduce him to the cartoons that would shape his career, according to his Los Angeles Philharmonic biography.
Before audiences heard his voice, he worked on the visual side of animation. A graduate of Centennial College's radio, television and film production program, Bauza worked as an animator and character layout artist before focusing on voice acting, he told Animation Scoop in a 2020 interview.
His performances reached viewers across several franchises, with over 400 acting credits under his name. He played Puss in Boots in "The Adventures of Puss in Boots" and Baby Fozzie in "Muppet Babies." His film work included "Space Jam: A New Legacy," "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie," according to his IMDb.
Bauza's work on the characters he grew up watching brought him recognition at the Children's & Family Emmy Awards.
He won for "Looney Tunes Cartoons" in 2022 and "Bugs Bunny Builders" in 2023. A third win followed in 2025 for playing Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck on "Teen Titans Go!"
Despite his success, Bauza spoke candidly about the pressure of performing characters with decades of history. He told Animation Scoop that taking on the Warner Bros. roles was "insanely intimidating and nerve-racking."
"You're under the microscope of generations of people that know these characters better than you do," he said in the 2020 interview.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eric Bauza, Bugs Bunny and 'Looney Toons' voice actor, dead at 46
