Eric Bauza spent his childhood copying the voices of Looney Tunes characters and sketching what he saw on screen. In 2023, he recalled that cartoons were “always an escape and always something that I could turn on and I would just be instantly entertained and just full with joy.”
Bauza, who became the modern voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and a cast of other Looney Tunes characters, died at his home on Sunday from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. He was 46.
His family announced the death in an Instagram statement, saying he “passed away suddenly.”
Born on 7 December 1979 in Scarborough, Toronto, Bauza was a Filipino-Canadian voiceover artist and cartoonist. He was raised in Scarborough’s Midland Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East neighbourhood, and told Global News in a 2020 interview that he continued to visit regularly from Los Angeles.
He told NBC News in 2021 that he had grown up a huge Looney Tunes fan and had copied the characters’ voices as a child. He later said: “Looney Tunes transcends all languages and all cultures. It doesn't matter what part of the planet you're from. You get the comedy.”
Bauza began in Hollywood as a character designer. His first acting credit came in The Ripping Friends in 2001.
His career ultimately brought him more than 400 acting credits. They included roles in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Ben 10 Omniverse, Universal's Woody Woodpecker, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its sequel.
For 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation, Bauza voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Road Runner, Elmer Fudd and Foghorn Leghorn for contemporary audiences. In Space Jam: A New Legacy, he played Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd and Marvin the Martian.
His work won three Children’s & Family Emmy Awards: for Looney Tunes Cartoons in 2022, Bugs Bunny Builders in 2023 and Teen Titans Go! in 2024. He also received five Daytime Emmy Award nominations, including for Muppet Babies, The Adventures of Puss in Boots and Looney Tunes Cartoons.
In August, Bauza attended the Los Angeles premiere of Coyote vs. Acme in California, where he had voiced several Looney Tunes characters. At the time of his death, he was in pre-production for Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical as Daffy Duck and The Dragon Masters as the Shogun King.
He had also been due to attend the Warner Bros. Pictures Animation premiere of The Cat in the Hat on Sunday afternoon in support of Daffy Season, a short shown before the film.
Channing Dungey, 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.” Dungey added: “He followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc.”
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