Sad news from the world of anime.
Chris Ayres, the longtime voice of the "Dragon Ball" character Frieza, passed away Monday at the age of 56, reported the New York Post.
With over 200 voiceover credits to his name, Ayers was most recognized as Frieza. As Entertainment Weekly notes, Ayres first took on the role in the "Dragon Ball" series after joining Funimation's dub of “Dragon Ball Z Kai.” He continued to be a part of the franchise, ending with the “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” movie.
Ayres' girlfriend and fellow actor, Krystal LaPorte, shared the sad news on social media, writing, "On October 18th at 8:40pm, my world went dark. Christopher Owen Ayres passed away peacefully, held close by his mother, brother, and girlfriend."
While LaPorte did not mention the specific cause of death, in 2017 Ayers was diagnosed with end-stage cardio obstructive pulmonary disease, and he frequently shared about his health troubles on social media.
Funimation shared their condolences via Twitter: "Rest In Peace, Christopher Ayres. Thank you for all that you've done for so many fans. We'll miss you dearly." Adult Swim also tweeted, "RIP Chris Ayres, Frieza Forever."
As Entertainment Weekly detailed, Ayres delivered a number of anime performances throughout his career, such as those in Maburaho, Black Butler, Sengoku Basara, Gantz, Tears to Tiara, Fairy Tail, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, and many others. He also served as ADR director and scriptwriter for numerous English dubs.
LaPorte made sure to give a salute to his legion of fans and friends.
"Chris loved you all,” wrote LaPorte. “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."
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