Chris Ayres death: Dragon Ball voice actor dies, aged 56
Actor had voiced anime villain since 2010
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Dragon Ball voice actor Chris Ayres has died, aged 56.
The news was announced by girlfriend and fellow anime voice star Krystal LaPorte on Twitter.
According to LaPorte, Ayres – who voiced the villainous character Frieza – died on Monday (18 October) surrounded by his family.
“Chris loved you all,” she wrote. “How much he loved other people filled the vast majority of our conversations.
“To those of you who truly loved him back, thank you. To those of you who stayed in touch, checked on him, reminded him that he was so, so much more than his job, you were the fuel of his fight. You fed the dreams of a future that kept him going longer than any normal person could go.”
Ayres was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2017, requiring a double lung transplant.
He had regularly kept his fans updated on the status of his health since his diagnosis.
The actor, who had voiced Frieza since 2010 following Funimation’s dub of Dragon Ball Z, also had a variety of other anime voice credits, including Kei Kurono in Gantz, Corset in Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt and Everlue in Fairy Tail.
Following his death, fans and co-stars paid tribute to Ayers, with Sean Schemmel (Son-Goku) writing: “I can’t stop crying about the loss of my dear friend and colleague, Chris Ayres. I never thought I’d say this because I used to tease him about it all the time, but thank you Chris, for the Love and Laughter, Always…I’ll see you in Otherworld bro, and we’ll spar again, Frieza.”
Funimation wrote: “Rest In Peace, Christopher Ayres. Thank you for all that you’ve done for so many fans. We’ll miss you dearly. “
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments