Eric Bauza, the voice actor who brought Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and a roster of other Looney Tunes characters to life for more than a decade, died at a home in Los Angeles County at 46. His family announced the death on social media Sunday night, saying more details would come later.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined that Bauza's cause of death was hypertensive cardiovascular disease and classified the manner of death as natural, according to NBC Los Angeles. His manager confirmed he died Sunday, as reported by CBS News, which also reported that Bauza, who was born in Canada, died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. The family's statement, posted to his Instagram page, described him as an Emmy Award-winning voice actor and the modern voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and dozens of other cartoon characters.
A Decade and a Half Giving Voice to Looney Tunes
Bauza spent 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation, according to Deadline, building a résumé that eventually included more than 400 acting credits. Beyond Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, he voiced Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Marvin the Martian and Elmer Fudd, among other Looney Tunes staples. CBS News also credits him with voicing Pepé Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn and Road Runner, rounding out one of the most extensive character rosters in modern animation.
Variety reports that Bauza's screen career began in 2001 with The Ripping Friends and grew into a body of work spanning hundreds of credits. He was born on December 7, 1979, in Scarborough, Toronto, according to Variety. This year alone, he voiced characters in Rick and Morty, Superkitties, Minions & Monsters and Avatar: Seven Havens, per The Guardian.
Projects Left in Pre-Production
At the time of his death, Bauza was in pre-production on two projects, Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical and The Dragon Masters, the same Guardian report notes. Variety independently confirmed those two projects were in pre-production as well, underscoring how active his workload remained up to his final days.
Emmy Recognition, With Conflicting Timelines
Bauza won three Children's & Family Emmy Awards over the course of his career, for Teen Titans Go!, Bugs Bunny Builders and Looney Tunes Cartoons. Reports differ on exactly when those wins landed: CBS News states he won in 2022, 2023 and 2025 and was nominated again in 2026, while Deadline places the third win in 2024 and specifically notes his 2023 win came for Outstanding Voice Performance in a Preschool Program for Bugs Bunny Builders. He was also nominated for five Daytime Emmy Awards between 2016 and 2021, CBS News reported.
Following in Mel Blanc's Footsteps
Bauza often spoke of his connection to Mel Blanc, the original voice of Bugs Bunny and most of the classic Looney Tunes cast. “I like to call him the blueprint of these characters,” Bauza said, according to CBS News. Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks Chairman Channing Dungey echoed that sentiment, saying Bauza “followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc,” per The Guardian. KTLA similarly described Bauza as having succeeded Blanc in voicing the studio's most beloved characters, a comparison that both the industry and Bauza himself leaned into throughout his run with the studio.
