With over 1,000 episodes to its name, thePokemonanime has a ton of voice actorsto go along with its many episodes. Seriously,just check out its IMDb pageand see for yourself.
That said, few are as iconic and as important to the franchise as one, James Carter Cathcart, who provided the voices for a number of marquee characters, including Professor Oak, Gary Oak, Meowth and James from Team Rocket, among others. Sadly, Cathcart has passed away at age 71, after a battle with throat cancer. He was 71 years old.
Tributes To Cathcart Have Begun Flowing In After News Of His Passing
Cathcart, who also had credits on a number of other projects,including in Yu-Gi-Oh! and Sonic, hadpreviously retired from voice acting altogether in 2023 after dealing with his diagnosis with throat cancer, putting an end to his many iconic characters.
Erica Schroeder, who also has credits on Pokemon, shared a poignant tribute to Cathcart on Instagram, writing that he was “one of the most joyful, exuberant, kind-hearted and talented souls.”
Over on the Pokemon subreddit, fans of the franchise took a moment to pay their respects to the person many called a “legend” or integral part of their childhoods.
“Beloved friend of our community that made many special memories for so many children, you will be so dearly missed,“one user wrote in the post announcing his passing. Another user, who shared that Cathcart was their uncle, said that the voice actor used to send birthday messages as Meowth. “He’ll be dearly missed,“they wrote.
The news,which was originally revealed on Facebook by his wife, Martha, also included this tidbit: “Thanks to all of Jimmy’s fans over the years! Giving you joy was why he worked so hard on his craft. Please know how much he appreciated you!”
