Eric Bauza, the voice actor who played Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck for Warner Bros. Animation, died at his home on Sunday 25 October, US time, aged 46, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records reported by Variety.
The records give the cause of death as hypertensive cardiovascular disease, Variety reported.
His family announced the death on his Instagram account the same day, saying he had died suddenly, according to Variety.
“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,” the family wrote.
Bauza was born on 7 December 1979 in Scarborough, Toronto, Variety reported. He was of Filipino descent, according to BBC News.
From Drawing Board to Microphone
He started out in animation as a character designer, Variety reported. His first acting credit came in The Ripping Friends in 2001, and by the time of his death he had more than 400.
The Looney Tunes ran through his later work. In the 2026 film Coyote vs. Acme he voiced Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, and also Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Road Runner and Charlie the Dog, according to Variety.
He had already taken on several of those roles for Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021, voicing Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Foghorn Leghorn, BBC News reported. Outside the Looney Tunes, he played Toad General in The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023 and in its sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, according to the BBC.
He won three Children’s and Family Emmy Awards, for Teen Titans Go!, Bugs Bunny Builders and Looney Tunes Cartoons, Variety reported. Deadline lists Stimpy, Woody Woodpecker and Puss in Boots among his other voices.
Tributes From the Studio
Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks, spoke about the length of his time with the studio.
“Eric Bauza was a unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world. During his 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation, he was the voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck among countless other characters,” Dungey said, according to Variety.
Chris DeFaria, a producer of Coyote vs. Acme, connected the actor to the story the film tells.
“He embodied everything we wanted from this film, including the major theme of the movie that a little guy can make a difference in this world,” DeFaria said, Variety reported.
Another screen loss was reported here on 24 October: Tom Skerritt, the star of Alien, Top Gun and Picket Fences, died aged 93.
Following Mel Blanc
Dungey also placed Bauza in the line of performers before him, BBC News reported.
“He followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc. Eric said that carrying on the legendary legacy of the Looney Tunes was among the greatest honors of his life.”
Bauza talked about why the characters travel so well in a 2021 interview with NBC News, as reported by BBC News. “Looney Tunes transcends all languages and all cultures,” he said, and “It doesn’t matter what part of the planet you’re from. You get the comedy.”
He was still at work on them when he died. At the time of his death he was in pre-production on Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical, in which he was cast as Daffy Duck, according to Variety.
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Sources: Variety, “Eric Bauza, Emmy Award-Winning Looney Tunes Voice Actor, Dies at 46”, 26 October 2026 (https://variety.com/2026/film/people-news/eric-bauza-dead-looney-tunes-voice-actor-1236930931/); BBC News, “Eric Bauza, voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dies aged 46”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwzd6q630vjeo); Deadline, “Eric Bauza Dies: Emmy-Winning Voice Of Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck & Much More Was 46”, 26 October 2026 (https://deadline.com/2026/10/eric-bauza-dead-voice-of-bugs-bunny-1237172857/)
Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Eric Bauza at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, in March 2026.
