Voice actor Jim Ward, known for his roles in the cartoon show Fairly OddParents, has died aged 66.
His wife, Janice, confirmed to TMZ that he passed away on Wednesday (December 10) at Silverado Beverly Place Memory Care in Los Angeles, due to complications from advanced Alzheimer’s Disease. He was diagnosed with the condition in 2017, which led to him retiring from voice acting.
Ward was a prolific and beloved figure in animation and video games, having made his breakthrough as the voice of Peter Parker in the 1993 game Spider-Man Vs. The Kingpin. He also voiced Captain Quark in the Ratchett & Clank franchise, as well as appearing in various Star Wars and Marvel titles.
In animation, he is best known as the voices of both businessman Doug Dimmadome and local news reporter Chet Ubetcha in the show Fairly OddParents, which ran from 2001-2017. Elsewhere, he won an Emmy in 2009 for his voice work on the reboot of the animated series Bike Mice From Mars.
In film, he was the voice of the River Spirit in the English dub of Studio Ghibli classic Spirited Away, and worked on the Pixar movies Cars, Wall-E, and Inside Out. He played Commissioner Gordon in the 2017 animated film Batman Vs. Two-Face, which was the final performance of Adam West as Batman, and released posthumously following the star’s death that year.
His talent for impressions and comedy led to a long running role on the syndicated radio programme The Stephanie Miller Show, which dedicated Thursday’s (December 11) episode to his memory.
Arlene Thornton, Ward’s longtime agent, told TMZ: “His ability to improvise on the spot as well as his dead-on impressions were beyond impressive. He was a one man comedy show every time he came to the office to do his auditions.”
In addition to his wife Janice, Jim Ward is survived by his mother, Marilou, his sister, Natalie; his brother-in-law, Evan; and two nephews.