Voice actor Eric Bauza, known for Bugs Bunny, dies at 46

Eric Bauza, a 46-year-old Emmy-award winning voice actor from Scarborough, Ontario, died suddenly, his family announced on Instagram on Sunday night. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported that Bauza died at his home of hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Bauza was recognized as a modern successor to original Looney Tunes voice talent, providing the voice of Bugs Bunny for HBO Max’s Looney Tunes Cartoons beginning in 2020, a series that ran for six seasons. He also voiced characters such as Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Marvin the Martian, Foghorn Leghorn and Road Runner, and contributed to projects including The Looney Tunes Show, SpongeBob SquarePants, Bob’s Burgers and the film Coyote vs. Acme.

During a 2020 interview on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning, Bauza said working on the Bugs Bunny role was “a dream come true” and advised aspiring voice actors that performance should be “grounded in reality.” He participated in the Lightbox Expo convention in Pasadena, California, speaking on a panel the day before his death.

Animation historian Jerry Beck, who moderated the panel, noted that Bauza demonstrated classic Looney Tunes comedy by performing a Bugs Bunny square-dance call while the cartoon played on a screen for the audience. Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation issued a statement expressing condolences to Bauza’s family and acknowledging his contributions to the Looney Tunes legacy. Fellow voice actor Josh Keaton also posted a tribute, describing Bauda as a talented and sincere performer.