Eric Bauza, voice of Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes favourites, dies aged 46

Eric Bauza, a voice actor best known for playing many Looney Tunes characters, has sadly died at the age of 46, his family has announced. On his personal Instagram page, his loved ones put out a statement that he "passed away suddenly".

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records (via Variety), Bauza passed away on Sunday at his home due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

The recent film Coyote vs Acme featured Bauza voicing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Porky Pig, Tweety, Charlie Dog, Gossamer, Dr Peter Lorre, Elmer Fudd and Road Runner.

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Across other Looney Tunes projects, including Space Jam: A New Legacy and King Tweety, he also voiced Sylvester and Marvin the Martian.

Outside of that franchise, he also voiced Woody Woodpecker between 2017 and 2024, Leonardo and Splinter in various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles projects, Diddy Kong in The Super Mario Bros Movie, Luke Skywalker in various LEGO Star Wars releases, and Puss in Boots for Shrek-related projects as a voice match for Antonio Banderas.

Other voice actors and people working in the animation industry paid tribute to Bauza in the comments of his family's Instagram post.

"One of the most talented, kind, funny, generous souls. I can't comprehend this", wrote Grey DeLisle (Daphne in Scooby-Doo!), while Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh) said: "I am at a loss for words. Such a young kind man."

"I'm at a loss for words. I love you, Eric. Thank you for all your art and magic and kindness", wrote Ron Funches (Harley Quinn), while Carlos Alazraqui (The Fairly OddParents) said: "I am in shock. This doesn't feel real! I am devastated."

"He was a good man, a literal voice for change, advocacy, and a pioneer in animation, not to mention the Asian American community", said Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yōtei), while Vincent Martella (Phineas in Phineas and Ferb) wrote: "I'm in complete shock and disbelief. A tremendously talented and kind coworker who I always had great conversations with and learned from. Sending so much love to his family. He was a giant. A titan in our industry."

Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire said: "Oh my god! This is devastating! I was just thinking about him this morning and what a huge upturn his career has had with the success of Coyote vs Acme, and what a great guy he is and how happy I was that he was getting recognized for his immense talent. I am speechless."

Adam Rosette, the co-director of 2026 animated comedy GOAT, wrote: "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. The last thing I texted him was that he was 'the voice of our generation'. I meant every word, and I'm so grateful I got to tell him."

Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.