Bugs Bunny

Eric Bauza, the voice behind Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, died at 46. Monday, his family posted a statement on his Instagram page, saying he "passed away suddenly," according to NBC News. Bauza died Sunday. At his home. The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office found hypertensive cardiovascular disease, CBS News reported.

He voiced dozens of other Looney Tunes characters too, among them Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepe Le Pew and Road Runner, according to Deadline. More than 400 credits carried his voice, CBS News reported, among them Stimpy in "Ren & Stimpy," Puss in Boots, and roles in "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "Bob's Burgers."

Bauza won three Emmy Awards between 2022 and 2025 for his voice work, NBC News reported. Toronto-born in 1979, he was of Filipino descent, the BBC reported. He was the first person of color to voice Bugs Bunny in Looney Tunes cartoons, a role that brought encouragement from the Asian American community, he told NBC News in a 2021 interview. "Looney Tunes transcends all languages and all cultures," he said. "It doesn't matter what part of the planet you're from. You get the comedy."

Bauza most recently voiced several characters in "Coyote vs. Acme," released this year, and had appeared in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Space Jam: A New Legacy," according to NBC News and the BBC.

Judy Coppage, his manager, called his death "a shock to all of us" in a statement to NBC News and CBS News. "It's a profound loss for his family, the animation industry and his fans," she said.

Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks, said in a joint statement with Warner Bros. Animation, reported by Deadline and the BBC, that Bauza "followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc." The statement said he spent 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation voicing Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck "among countless other characters."

Bauza is survived by his wife, Jessica, and their son, the Economic Times reported. The couple married in 2016. No funeral date has been announced.