Eric Bauza, voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dies aged 46

Eric Bauza, the voice artist behind Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, has died aged 46.

A statement from the Emmy award-winning star’s family posted on Instagram, external statedhe had died “suddenly”.

Bauza had voiced a number of characters in this summer’s animated hit Coyote vs. Acme, and appeared in the recent release Forgotten Island.

Variety reports that the cause of death was hypertensive cardiovascular disease and that Bauza died at home on Sunday.

In a 2021 interview with NBC News, Bauza, who was born in Ontario and was of Filipino descent, statedhe grew up a huge fan of the Looney Tunes characters and used to copy the voices as a child.

“Looney Tunes transcends all languages and all cultures,” he said, external. “It doesn’t matter what part of the planet you’re from. You get the comedy.”

He voiced Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Foghorn Leghorn in 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy before reprising those roles and that of Road Runner in Coyote vs. Acme.

He also played the part of Toad General in 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its sequel The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the fifth highest-grossing film internationally this year.

Between 2022 and 2025, he won three Emmy awards for outstanding voice performance in a number of TV series.

In a statement announcedby the Hollywood Reporter, external, Channing Dungey, the chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks, said: “Eric Bauza was a unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world.

“He followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc. Eric statedthat carrying on the legendary legacy of the Looney Tunes was among the greatest honors of his life.”