Tom Kane, an actor who voiced a slew of iconic animated characters from Professor Utonium to Master Yoda, has died. He was 64.
A representative for Kane, Zachery McGinnis, confirmed the “Star Wars” voice actor’s death in a statement shared with USA TODAY on Monday, May 18. McGinnis said the cause was complications from a stroke that Kane suffered in 2020. TMZ first reported the news.
“From his unforgettable performances in ‘Star Wars’ to countless animated series, documentaries, and games, Tom brought wisdom, strength, humor, and heart to every role he touched,” McGinnis said. “His voice became part of our lives, our memories, and the stories we carry with us.”
Kane was the voice of the narrator on the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” dramatically opening each episode with a kind of spoken version of the “Star Wars” opening crawl to set up the plot. He also voiced Yoda and other characters on the series.
Outside of “The Clone Wars,” Kane contributed to a number of other “Star Wars” projects over the years and provided voices for the franchise’s live-action movies, including Admiral Ackbar in “The Last Jedi.”
Kane’s best known role outside of “Star Wars” may be Professor Utonium, the man who creates the three title heroes on the Cartoon Network series “The Powerpuff Girls.” He also voiced the chimpanzee Darwin on “The Wild Thornberrys,” a role he reprised on the big screen in “The Wild Thornberrys Movie” and the crossover film “Rugrats Go Wild.”
According to IMDb, Kane racked up nearly 300 acting credits over his career and also voiced characters on numerous other 1990s and 2000s cartoons, including “Johnny Bravo,” “The Angry Beavers,” “Cow and Chicken,” “Kim Possible,” Avatar: The Last Airbender,” and more.
In 2020, Kane’s daughter shared on Facebook that her father suffered a stroke, which left him unable to “efficiently communicate verbally, nor read or spell.”
“He is still competent and very much himself, but can only get out a few words right now,” she wrote, while noting that he “still remains in good spirits and his extreme stubbornness has helped him already show improvements in speech.”
On May 4, Kane celebrated Star Wars Day on Instagram by posting a throwback video from when he threw out the opening pitch at a baseball game. “May the force be with you,” he captioned the post. In March, Kane also shared a photo of himself reuniting with Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong and E.G. Daily, the voices of the Powerpuff Girls.
“Reunited with my girls!!” he wrote, while Strong, the voice of Bubbles, commented, “We were SO happy…so emotional to be back with our professor.”
In the statement shared with USA TODAY, McGinnis remembered Kane not just as a great actor, but as an “extraordinary man.”
“Tom was a devoted husband and father who, alongside his wife, built a loving family of nine children — three biological and six welcomed through adoption and fostering,” the representative said. “That compassion and generosity defined who he was just as much as his remarkable talent did. Though his voice may now be silent, the characters, stories, and love he gave to the world will live on forever.”