The Emmy-winning voice actor died at home from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Bauza voiced classic Looney Tunes characters across film and television.
Eric Bauza, the Emmy-winning voice actor who voiced iconic Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, died Sunday at his home at age 46.
Bauza died as a result of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, Variety reported, citing records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. His family announced the death Sunday through a post on his Instagram account, stating that he passed away suddenly and that more details would follow.
Bauza spent 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation, following in the footsteps of Mel Blanc by voicing many of the studio’s most famous cartoon characters. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks, honored Bauza as a unique talent who brought joy to millions, noting that Bauza considered carrying on the Looney Tunes legacy among the greatest honors of his life.
Stepping into iconic Looney Tunes roles
In a 2021 interview with NBC News, the BBC reported, Bauza explained that he grew up copying character voices as a young Looney Tunes fan. “Looney Tunes transcends all languages and all cultures,” Bauza said in that interview. “It doesn’t matter what part of the planet you’re from. You get the comedy.”
Bauza took on multiple classic roles in the film Coyote vs. Acme, released earlier this year. His voice work in the production included Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Road Runner, and Charlie the Dog. He had previously voiced Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, and Elmer Fudd alongside Marvin the Martian in the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy. In the 2024 film The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, he voiced both Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, earning praise from Variety reviewer Peter Debruge as a vocal standout who brought manic energy to the duo.
Early career and television work
Born in Scarborough, Toronto, on Dec. 7, 1979, Bauza was of Filipino descent and later relocated to Los Angeles. He began his career in the animation industry as a character designer working with Hollywood production studios, according to his SBV Talent agency biography. His early work in animation departments included credits on projects such as Good Vibe, Slacker Cats, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, The Drawn Together Movie!, and Nimbrod and Stinky’s Antarctic Adventure.
Over his television career, Bauza received nominations for Daytime Emmy, Children’s & Family Emmy, and Annie awards for his work voicing the title character in The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Fozzie Bear in Muppet Babies, and Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in Looney Tunes Cartoons. Between 2022 and 2025, he won three Emmy Awards for outstanding voice performance across multiple television series.
His television credits expanded across dozens of animated shows. He voiced characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Turtles, The Fairly OddParents, The Powerpuff Girls, Sanjay and Craig, and Mighty Magiswords. His voice was also featured on Star vs. The Forces of Evil, Archibald’s Next Big Thing, The Rocketeer, Ballmastrz: 9009, Unikitty, Breadwinners, Uncle Grandpa, Atomic Puppet, Ultimate Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
Feature films, commercials, and upcoming projects
Bauza also worked extensively in feature films and commercial advertising. He voiced Toad General in the 2023 release The Super Mario Bros. Movie and returned for its sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which ranks as the fifth highest-grossing film internationally this year. His other feature film credits included DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island, The Book of Life, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and the title character in Universal’s Woody Woodpecker.
In commercial work, Bauza provided the voices for Lucky the Leprechaun for Lucky Charms cereal, the Trix Rabbit for Trix cereal, and Marvin the Martian for Nike, along with appearing in Walmart’s Famous Visitors commercial.
At the time of his death, Bauza was working on two projects in pre-production. He was preparing to voice Daffy Duck in Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical and was cast as The Shogun King in the animated production The Dragon Masters.
