Sad news coming in today, May 16, for fans of Dragon Ball Z.
One of the shows’ most beloved narrators and iconic dubs, Jose Lavat, has died aged 69.
Toei Animation confirmed the news with a touching tribute on Twitter, by honouring the actor and thanking him for the hard work he put in to make Dragon Ball Z the global phenomenon it is today.
The company wrote:
Rest in peace Jose Lavat, an amazing dubbing actor who lended his voice talent to many famous characters for Hispanic audiences including the narrator in Dragon Ball Z.
Thank you #PepeLavat for everything.
Lavat was most well known in Latin America, where Dragon Ball Z and anime in general has a massive following, report ComicBook.
It was Lavat who helped bring the show to life for Spanish-speaking audiences.
Fans have been taking to social media to share their thanks for Lavat and his great work on bringing cult shows to a much wider, global audience:
Lavat wasn’t just known for his work on Dragon Ball Z.
As a dubbing actor he also lent his voice to iconic films such as Tarzan, Death Note, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings and Street Fighter.
Lavat was born in Mexico City in September 1948.
After starting his career in theatre work, he was encouraged to progress in to dubbing thanks to his distinctive voice.
RIP. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.