Pokémon voice actor Rachael Lillis died Saturday, Lillis’ sister Laurie Orr announced on GoFundMe. Orr said Lillis “passed peacefully” and “without pain.” She was 46.
Orr said in May that Lillis had been in treatment for cancer for some time, and in a care facility in Los Angeles since January after the cancer spread to her spine. That GoFundMe campaign page raised nearly $100,000 to support Lillis after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Veronica Taylor, who voices Pokémon’s Ash Ketchum, posted a tribute to Lillis on social media, calling the actress “an extraordinary talent, a bright light that shone through her voice whether speaking or singing.”
She continued: “We all know Rachael Lillis from the many wonderful roles she played. She filled our Saturday mornings and before/after school hours with her beautiful voice, her terrific comic timing, and her remarkable acting skills.”
In 1998, Lillis began voicing Ketchum’s adventure companion Misty, Team Rocket’s Jessie, and several Pokémon, including Jigglypuff. She also appeared in the anime dubs, films like Pokémon: The First Movie and Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Lillis has voiced characters in dozens of other shows and films, including Berserk, Hunter x Hunter, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
To say that her voice was beloved would be an understatement: As Misty and Jessie, she starred alongside Taylor to create iconic characters for English-language viewers. Fans and fellow voice actors have been posting tributes to Lillis after learning of her death. Eric Stuart, who voiced Pokémon’s Brock and James, posted that Lillis was “one of the funniest, sweetest, kindest people.
“Celebrate her life by watching OG Pokemon, especially Team Rocket, she will always be my partner in comedic crime,” Stuart wrote. “RIP my friend.”
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