Eric Bauza, the Emmy-winning voice actor who brought Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Porky Pig, and Foghorn Leghorn to life for modern audiences, died Sunday at 46. His family announced the death on Instagram, and Variety reported the cause as hypertensive cardiovascular disease, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records.
Born in Toronto on Dec. 7, 1979, Bauza took on one of entertainment’s toughest assignments: following Mel Blanc, the legendary voice behind the original Looney Tunes. He delivered, earning three Children’s & Family Emmy Awards for “Teen Titans Go!,” “Bugs Bunny Builders,” and “Looney Tunes Cartoons.” Suncoast families heard his work in “Coyote vs. Acme,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and recently DreamWorks Animation’s “Forgotten Island.”
Warner Bros. Television Group chairman Channing Dungey called him a unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world. For a generation of kids, and the parents and grandparents who watched alongside them, those voices were part of daily life. So many of us here on the Gulf Coast grew up on these cartoons, and Bauza made sure the next generation got the same gift.
What’s your favorite Looney Tunes memory with your family? Let us know in the comments.
