Eric Bauza, the Voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Dies at 46

Eric Bauza, the voice of today's Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, has died at 46. His family shared the news on his Instagram on Sunday, October 25, saying he had "passed away suddenly" (IBTimes). Variety and CNN also reported his death (Variety, CTV News).

Bauza was born in Scarborough, Ontario, in 1979. He started out as a character designer before moving in front of the mic, and he went on to rack up more than 400 voice credits, starting with The Ripping Friends in 2001.

Why does Eric Bauza matter so much to cartoon fans?

For a whole generation of kids, he's simply what Bugs Bunny sounds like. Bauza took over Bugs and Daffy for Looney Tunes Cartoons, which ran from 2020 to 2024, and he voiced Porky Pig, Tweety, Marvin the Martian and Woody Woodpecker too (Wikipedia). That puts him on a very short list of people trusted with those voices since Mel Blanc.

He also brought the gang to Space Jam: A New Legacy, Bugs Bunny Builders and Coyote vs. Acme. Those performances won him three Children's and Family Emmys, for Looney Tunes Cartoons in 2022, Bugs Bunny Builders in 2023 and Teen Titans Go! in 2024.

What else did Eric Bauza voice?

A lot more than you might think. His big break was Stimpy in Ren and Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon." After that, he played Puss in Boots in The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Splinter in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Baby Fozzie in Muppet Babies and Buster Bunny in Tiny Toons Looniversity. He was also Diddy Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. His credits even include Avatar: The Last Airbender (IBTimes).

He still had work on the way. He was set to voice Daffy Duck in Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical and the Shogun King in The Dragon Masters.

How is Hollywood remembering Eric Bauza?

The tributes started right away. Warner Bros. TV chair Channing Dungey called him a one-of-a-kind talent who brought joy and laughter to fans around the world. Coyote vs. Acme producer Chris DeFaria praised his "absolutely tireless dedication" to animation (IBTimes).

Bauza spent about 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation, and it showed. He clearly loved these characters, and he treated them with real care.

Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and everyone who worked with him.

Header image of Eric Bauza at WonderCon 2018 by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons, cropped, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.