Chris Ayres, the voice of Frieza in Funimation’s dub of the Dragon Ball series, has passed away at the age of 56. Ayres was an ADR director, scriptwriter, and voice actor for English dubs. With over 200 credits to his name, Ayres voiced a variety of characters throughout his career in animes such as Black Butler, Maburaho, Sengoku Basara, Gantz, Fairy Tail, Tears to Tiara, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, the Dragon Ball franchise, and many more. The actor’s final role came earlier this year in the short The Dog Park: Prank Calls.
Ayres is perhaps best known for inheriting the task of embodying Dragon Ball’s most iconic villain, Frieza, who is essentially responsible for putting in motion the events of the entire franchise. He signed on to Funimation's dub of Dragon Ball Z Kai, which began in 2009. His role as Goku’s arc nemesis continued throughout Dragon Ball Super, ending with the 2018 movie Dragon Ball Super: Broly. In 2017, Ayres was diagnosed with end-stage cardio obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and needed a double lung transplant. Ayres continued to struggle with the disease in the years that followed and often shared updates on his surgeries online. This past July, Ayres revealed he had been hospitalized with difficulties talking, breathing, and fatigue.
Ayres' girlfriend and fellow actor Krystal LaPorte confirmed on Twitter that the actor had passed away on October 18. The emotional post explained that Ayres passed away surrounded by his loved ones and expressed gratitude to the fans who kept him going. "Chris loved you all," said 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." Read LaPorte's full statement in the tweet below:
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Countless fans and former colleagues have shared their condolences on social media, with Funimation taking to Twitter to say, "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 paid tribute to Ayres, saying, "RIP Chris Ayres, Frieza Forever." Dragon Ball’s long-time Goku/Kakarot English voice actor, Sean Schemmel, also shared his grief and thanked Ayres for his friendship: “...I’ll see you in Otherworld bro, and we’ll spar again, Frieza.”
Chris Ayres' work on Dragonball Z Kai and Dragon Ball Super has undoubtedly contributed to its massive international success. Everything he did, and every story he helped tell, left a profound impact on so many. Screen Rant extends their deepest condolences to Ayres’ loved ones and the entire anime community. He was and forever will be Dragon Ball's almighty Lord Frieza. Rest in Peace.
Source: Krystal LaPorte/Twitter
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