Chris Ayres, voice of Frieza on Dragon Ball, dies aged 56

See you in the Other World, Chris

Chris Ayres, the long-time voice actor behind beloved Dragon Ball Z character Frieza, has sadly passed away aged just 56. In a post from Ayres' girlfriend Krystal LaPorte - a fellow actor and notable voice talent in the anime genre - she issued a full statement revealing his death on Monday October 18. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones at the time. https://twitter.com/WowSuchKrystal/status/1450591801077796871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1450591801077796871%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fanime%2Fnews%2Fchris-ayres-dragon-ball-frieza-voice-dies%2F Ayres had been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) since 2017 and despite having undergone successful surgeries earlier this year, having to undergo a double lung transplant after a minor surgery turned into a much larger undertaking. LaPorte insisted that the love and support from fans is what spurred him on, thanking them for "[feeding] the dreams of a future that kept him going longer than any normal person could go" and assuring them that "he loved you all". You can read her heart-wrenching statement in full, where she explains how they did all his favourite things while they still could. This particular passage stood out to us most:

"I have never been alive in a world where Chris wasn't. I am scared of it. So much of humanity's kindness, compassion, gentleness, bravery, generosity and integrity were concentrated in one man. Everything feels so much colder [...] I will do my damndest to try and see what you saw in me, and try to be what the world saw in you."

Fellow DBZ voice actor and legendary anime personality Sean Schemmel - who has voiced various iterations of the show's main character Goku for decades in the show - posted an equally emotional message on his Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeanSchemmel/status/1450604716459630817?s=20 The same goes for another fellow cast member, Christopher Sabat, who voiced the anti-hero Vegeta in the show and posted the following heartfelt message to his social media. He called Ayres a "living angel" who was "unmatched" in his craft when it came to voicing Frieza and various other animated characters. He has gathered more than 200 voice credits across nearly two decades in the industry. https://twitter.com/JustChrisSabat/status/1450671341510795264?s=20 LaPorte closed her statement by urging others who had asked if there was anything they could do to simply "be more like Chris [...] fill it with love and laughter". We can only echo her sentiment and pay homage to one of the greatest voices in one of the greatest, genre-defining animated shows ever conceived. Rest in peace, Chris - see you in the Other World.