Eric Bauza, the Modern Voice of Looney Tunes, Is Dead at 46

Eric Bauza, the contemporary inheritor of Mel Blanc’s legacy at Looney Tunes and a three-time Emmy winner, is dead at 46. His family confirmed that Bauza died in an Instagram post to his page. “Eric Bauza, Emmy Award-winning voice actor and the modern voice of iconic Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with dozens of other beloved cartoon characters, has passed away suddenly,” his family wrote on October 25. “More details to come.” The Los Angeles County Medical examiner confirmed Bauza died at home of hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Bauza was born in 1979 in Toronto, Canada. His father and grandfather, both Filipino immigrants, showed him Looney Tunes episodes as a kid. His career with the classic characters began in 2011, when he started voicing Marvin the Martian. Eventually, he gained more characters, voicing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, and Foghorn Leghorn. He won his first Emmy in 2022 at the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards, for Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program, for his work in Looney Tunes Cartoons. He later won for Bugs Bunny Builders and Teen Titans Go! His last onscreen voice performance is as multiple characters in Avatar: Seven Havens.

Earlier this year, Bauza played many of the iconic Looney Tunes voices in the summer hit Coyote vs. Acme. This work included many of his previous characters, as well as the emotional “Beep-beeps” as the Roadrunner in the film’s climax. “My hope is that people see Coyote vs. Acme multiple times not for the sake of Looney Tunes but because this is a good movie,” he told Vulture. “The filmmakers out there know the grand picture. This is not to save the Looney Tunes, but to save the future of moviemaking.”