The Emmy-winning voice actor who carried on Mel Blanc's Looney Tunes roles died suddenly, his family said on Sunday. He was 46.
Eric Bauza, the Emmy-winning voice actor who played Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and dozens of other Looney Tunes characters for Warner Bros., has died at 46. His family announced the news on Instagram on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, saying he "passed away suddenly."
What we know
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the family's post described Bauza as "the modern voice of iconic Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with dozens of other beloved cartoon characters," and added that more details would follow. The Hollywood Reporter says it is unclear when he died, though he was scheduled to attend the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's The Cat in the Hat on Sunday afternoon to support the short Daffy Season.
The family has not said more about the circumstances. We are leaving out unconfirmed details until they do.
The roles he carried on
Bauza stepped into territory first made famous by Mel Blanc. In this summer's Coyote vs. Acme, the BBC notes, he voiced a long list of Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn and Road Runner. He played many of the same parts in Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021 and in Looney Tunes Cartoons.
Younger viewers may know him from elsewhere. He voiced Toad General in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its sequel, and he worked on Muppet Babies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island. The BBC says he won three Emmys between 2022 and 2025 for outstanding voice performance.
Tributes
Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks, called him "a unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world," and noted his 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation. "He followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc," she said.
Our take
Voicing Bugs Bunny is a strange kind of fame: millions of people know the voice and few know the name. Bauza's work was good enough that most viewers never noticed the handoff from the original performer. That is the job done well, and it is worth saying his name today.
Related reading
Another loss in film this month: Tom Skerritt, star of Alien and Top Gun, dies at 93. For this weekend's animation news at the box office, see Wildwood opens to $11.2M as Clayface leads weekend box office.
Picture credit: Photo: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 3.0). Design: Savvy VibeZ
