LOS ANGELES, October 26, 2026 â Eric Bauza, the Emmy Award-winning voice actor who brought Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and several beloved Looney Tunes characters to life for a new generation, has died at the age of 46.
His family announced his sudden passing through a statement shared on his official Instagram account, @bauzilla. The announcement did not disclose a cause of death.
“Eric Bauza, Emmy Award-winning voice actor and the modern voice of iconic Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with dozens of other beloved cartoon characters, has passed away suddenly. More details to come.”
For millions of viewers, Bauza’s voice was a familiar part of childhood entertainment, even if his face was less recognizable. From Bugs Bunny’s quick-witted humour to Daffy Duck’s explosive personality, he helped preserve characters originally made famous by legendary voice actor Mel Blanc.
From a childhood cartoon fan to the voice of Bugs Bunny
Born on December 7, 1979, in Scarborough, Ontario, Bauza grew up in a Filipino-Canadian family with a deep affection for cartoons.
In a 2021 interview originally published by NBC News, he recalled how his father and grandfather became fans of Looney Tunes through animated shorts screened in Philippine cinemas.
As a child, Bauza imitated cartoon voices, unaware that he would eventually perform some of those same characters professionally.
After studying at Centennial College in Toronto, he began working as an animation character designer before moving into voice acting.
His remarkable vocal range eventually made him one of Warner Bros.’ principal modern Looney Tunes performers. Alongside Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, he voiced Porky Pig, Tweety and Marvin the Martian across various productions.
In the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy, he performed several characters, including Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn and Marvin the Martian.
His performances earned industry recognition, including a Children’s and Family Emmy Award in 2022 for Looney Tunes Cartoons. He later won another Emmy for Bugs Bunny Builders.
Eric Bauza’s career beyond Looney Tunes and his lasting legacy
Although Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck became his most recognizable roles, Bauza’s career extended far beyond Warner Bros.
He voiced the title character in Netflix’s The Adventures of Puss in Boots and contributed to productions including Muppet Babies, Bob’s Burgers and Tiny Toons Looniversity.
In 2022, Bauza hosted Stay Tooned, a six-part documentary series for CBC Gem exploring how cartoons shaped popular culture and reflected changing attitudes toward society. The project highlighted his interest in animation history beyond performing familiar voices.
His work also reflected the special connection audiences develop with entertainers whose voices become inseparable from beloved characters. Australian performer Jamie Dunn, the longtime voice behind television puppet Agro, built a similarly recognizable legacy through decades of entertainment.
For Bauza, however, Looney Tunes remained especially personal. The characters that entertained his father and grandfather eventually became central to his own career, connecting three generations of his family through animation.
He was also known for carefully studying classic performances, regularly revisiting cartoons to maintain the voices, expressions and comic timing audiences expected.
His death brings an unexpected end to a career spanning more than two decades. Yet his performances will remain familiar to viewers through the animated films and television series he helped create.
For fans, his legacy is perhaps best captured by an extraordinary journey: a boy who grew up watching Bugs Bunny eventually became one of the people trusted to give the famous rabbit his voice.
Bauza was 46. His family indicated that additional information would be shared later.
Sources: Family announcement | NBC News interview | The Canadian Press.
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