Star Wars voice actor Tom Kane has died at the age of 64.
The star, whose voice credits include Yoda in animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and as Professor Utonium in The Powerpuff Girls, passed away on Monday (18.05.26) from stroke complications at a hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.
Kane's talent agency Galactic Productions said in a statement: "From his unforgettable performances in Star Wars to countless animated series, documentaries and games, Tom brought wisdom, strength, humour and heart to every role he touched.
"His voice became part of our lives, our memories and the stories we carry with us."
Kane suffered a stroke in 2020 that left him unable to speak or write and he ultimately retired from voice acting the following year.
However, he was able to attend the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in Kentucky in March – where he reunited with The Powerpuff Girls cast in what was his first public appearance for years.
Kane's other voice roles include the long-suffering valet Woodhouse in animated series Archer, a part he took on from the late George Coe in 2014, the rabbit Mr. Herriman in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and Lord Monkey Fist on Kim Possible.
Born in Kansas in 1962, Kane began voice acting at 15, when he was still in school.
After graduating from the University of Kansas in 1984, he started working at Lucasfilm and provided small voice parts for the studio's video games during the mid-1990s.
Kane first voiced Yoda in a video game released in 1999 and continued in the part for Star Wars: The Clone Wars in 2003 and in the 2008 Clone Wars film – where he additionally voiced the character of Admiral Yularen.
He also provided the narration that started every Clone Wars episode.
Kane explained that he didn't need to work on mastering Yoda's distinctive voice.
He said: "I didn't work on being Yoda. I saw the movies 53 times, so the voice was very much in my head. Everybody tries to do Yoda, not just voice-overs but everybody.
"I was doing stuff for LucasArts and I was goofing around and reading Yoda lines and what I didn't know was that Frank Oz (the original voice of Yoda) was directing a movie. They recorded it and played it for George (Lucas), and I've been Yoda ever since."
Meanwhile, Kane also served as the voice of the Walt Disney World Monorail System and the announcer for several broadcasts of the Academy Awards.
He is survived by Cindy, his wife of over 40 years, and their nine children – six through adoption and fostering.
