Eric Bauza, the Emmy-winning voice actor who became the modern voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and many of the most recognizable characters in animation history, has died. He was 46.
Bauza died Sunday, October 25, at his home in Los Angeles County. His family announced his death in a statement posted to social media, saying he had passed away suddenly. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed the cause as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and ruled the death natural.
Over a career spanning roughly 25 years, Bauza accumulated more than 400 film and television credits while becoming one of the animation industry’s most prolific and versatile performers.
But his most enduring work came through Looney Tunes.
Bauza followed in the formidable footsteps of Mel Blanc, eventually voicing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Marvin the Martian, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester and Road Runner, among others. His performances appeared across Looney Tunes Cartoons, Bugs Bunny Builders, and feature films including Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, and Coyote vs. Acme.
For Bauza, those characters were more than assignments.
Raised in Scarborough, Ontario, by Filipino immigrant parents, Bauza grew up watching Looney Tunes and imitating the voices he heard on television. He later spoke about the cartoons’ universality and the honor of carrying forward characters that had entertained generations worldwide.
“Looney Tunes transcends all languages and all cultures,” he said in a 2021 interview with NBC News.
Bauza began his animation career behind the scenes as a character designer before shifting into voice acting in the early 2000s. His first credits included The Ripping Friends, and his career quickly expanded across television, film, and games.
His credits stretched far beyond Warner Bros. Bauza contributed voices to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Titans Go!, The Fairly OddParents, Transformers, Animaniacs, X-Men ’97, Bob’s Burgers, Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites, Muppet Babies, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Krapopolis and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, among many others.
His work earned him three Children’s & Family Emmy Awards between 2022 and 2025, recognizing performances across Looney Tunes Cartoons, Bugs Bunny Builders and Teen Titans Go!
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Bauza also became one of the most visible champions of Coyote vs. Acme after Warner Bros. initially shelved the completed film. He publicly supported efforts to release the movie, and when it eventually reached audiences, his involvement added an emotional dimension to the long-running battle.
His death prompted an immediate wave of tributes from across the animation community.
Writer and producer Aaron J. Waltke remembered Bauza as “a dazzling light in every room,” while fellow voice actor Josh Keaton praised not only his talent but his generosity and warmth toward colleagues.
Warner Bros. Television Group chairman Channing Dungey called Bauza “a unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world,” adding that Bauza considered carrying on the Looney Tunes legacy one of the greatest honors of his life.
His longtime manager Judy Coppage described his sudden death as “a profound loss for his family, the animation industry and his fans.”
That loss is difficult to overstate.
Voice actors often disappear into their characters by design. Bauza somehow managed the opposite. He could vanish into Bugs, Daffy, Porky, or Marvin while also becoming a recognizable ambassador for the art form itself — someone who openly revered the performers who came before him and understood the responsibility that came with inheriting those voices.
For a generation of audiences, Bauza wasn’t simply doing an impression of Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck.
He was Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
And somewhere, appropriately enough, you can almost hear one final line:
That’s all, folks.
RIP, Maestro.
