Eric Bauza, the Modern Voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Dies at 46

Eric Bauza, the Emmy-winning voice actor who was the modern voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, died Sunday at his Los Angeles County home. He was 46, NBC Los Angeles and USA Today reported.

His family announced his death Sunday night in a statement on his Instagram account. "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," it said. "More details to come." The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office said the manner of death was natural, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Bauza was described as a modern successor to Mel Blanc, the original voice of many Looney Tunes characters, who was known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices." NBC Los Angeles reported that Bauza also voiced Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Marvin the Martian, Elmer Fudd and many other characters. His manager, Judy Coppage, called him a "unique and versatile voice actor" who was well loved. "His sudden passing is a shock to all of us, and he will be deeply missed," she said. "It's a profound loss for his family, the animation industry and his fans."

USA Today reported that Bauza had more than 400 acting credits. He played Puss in Boots in "The Adventures of Puss in Boots" and Baby Fozzie in "Muppet Babies," and his film work included "Space Jam: A New Legacy," "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie," according to his IMDb page, the paper said.

His work was recognized at the Children's & Family Emmy Awards. USA Today reported he won for "Looney Tunes Cartoons" in 2022 and "Bugs Bunny Builders" in 2023, and a third in 2025 for playing Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck on "Teen Titans Go!" NBC Los Angeles reported the wins as 2022, 2023 and 2024; the two outlets differ on the year of the third.

Bauza grew up in Ontario, Canada, where his father and grandfather introduced him to the cartoons that shaped his career, according to his Los Angeles Philharmonic biography as cited by USA Today. He graduated from Centennial College's radio, television and film production program and worked as an animator and character layout artist before focusing on voice acting, he told Animation Scoop in a 2020 interview.

In that interview he spoke about the pressure of voicing characters with decades of history. Taking on the Warner Bros. roles was "insanely intimidating and nerve-racking," he said. "You're under the microscope of generations of people that know these characters better than you do."

Details about memorial plans and any upcoming Bauza projects had not been announced in the reports reviewed. His family said more information would follow.