Veteran American anime voice actor Mike McFarland has died at the age of 56 following a battle with brain cancer.
Brina Palencia, a friend of McFarland, announced his death on Wednesday, saying the actor spent his final days surrounded by friends and family at a care facility in Dallas.
Palencia said friends from the voice-over community visited McFarland during the months before his death, spending time with him, singing songs and sharing stories in an effort to keep his spirits up.
She also said McFarland would have wanted people to honour his memory by donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the SPCA.
Tributes From Colleagues
Following news of his death, several colleagues in the voice-over industry took to social media to remember McFarland and celebrate his contributions to anime.
Voice actor Matt Mercer, in an Instagram tribute, described McFarland as a close friend who was witty, welcoming and highly talented. He also recalled the opportunities McFarland gave him early in his career, including work on major productions such as ‘Attack on Titan’ and ‘One Piece’.
“Been swinging between numb and emotional since yesterday. Mike McFarland has been a source of joy for so many for so long. One of my favorite directors to work with over the years, he took chances on bringing me onto projects that have defined much of my career (AoT, One Piece, etc), but more than that, he was a brilliant friend,” he wrote.
“From letting me crash at his place whenever visiting Texas, to dancing at goth clubs in Dallas, to paling around conventions or having adventures whenever he stopped on the west Coast, it was always a time filled with laughter.
“He was terrifyingly clever and witty. He was welcoming and playful. He was talented as fuck. He was brilliant. It is so unfair that we lost you so soon. Miss you, buddy. Rest well.”
A Major Figure in Anime Dubbing
McFarland was regarded as one of the early and influential figures in Texas-based anime production.
Beyond acting, he worked as a scriptwriter, director and line producer, contributing to the English dubbing of several Japanese anime productions.
He became particularly known for his work on Funimation’s English dubs of ‘Dragon Ball’ and ‘Dragon Ball Z’, where he was among the original voice actors.
His other notable credits included ‘Psycho-Pass’, ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’, ‘Attack on Titan’ and ‘One Piece’, where he voiced Buggy the Clown in Funimation’s English dub.
McFarland also worked behind the scenes as a voice director on a number of Funimation productions, including ‘Dragon Ball’, ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’, ‘Case Closed’ and ‘Attack on Titan’.
His directing credits also extended to the ‘Rebuild of Evangelion’ films and ‘Summer Wars’, further cementing his influence on the English-language anime industry.
Source: Provided report
