Voice actor Christopher “Chris” Ayres, best known for voicing the Frieza character on Dragon Ball, has sadly died at the age of 56.
The news of his death was announced by the actor’s girlfriend, fellow actor Krystal LaPorte, who posted an emotional tribute to Ayres on Twitter last night.
LaPorte posted several pictures of Ayres and wrote: “On October 18th at 8:40 pm, my world went dark. Christopher Owen Ayres passed away peacefully, held close by his mother, brother, and girlfriend, and his arm wrapped around his Atticus pillow.”
She wrote of his kindness, gentleness, and humanity and lamented that “everything feels so much colder” now.
LaPorte also addressed the actor’s legions of anime fans; she said: “Chris loved you all. 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 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.”
Krystal LaPorte asked fans to learn from Chris Ayres’ death
Towards the end of her tribute, LaPorte told fans that those who wondered what they could do to help should strive to be more like Ayres: “Please be more like Chris. Please, if you learned anything from him, put it in this world.”
A cause of death has not yet been announced, but Ayres was diagnosed with end-stage cardio obstructive pulmonary disease in 2017. Since then, he had kept concerned fans up to date with regular social media posts about his various treatments and hospital visits.
Tributes poured in on announcement of Chris Ayres death
Actors and fans have taken to social media in their droves to pay tribute to the anime giant.
Fellow Funimation actor, Sean Schemmel, tweeted that he could not “stop crying about the loss of [his] dear friend and colleague.” He then thanked Ayres for “the Love and Laughter.”
Actor Vic Mignogna also spoke about how saddened he was to “hear of the passing of [his] friend, Chris Ayres.” He also wrote of the actor’s “amazing spirit and determination.”
Many fans also took to Twitter to register their heartbreak, with many commenting on Ayer’s magnificent performances as Frieza. One fan wrote: “R.I.P Chris Ayers. You were a wonderful Voice Actor. Especially how you portrayed Frieza. May you rest happily… This hurts me so much…”
Other fans sent their condolences and called Ayres a “talented legend.”
Last year, Dragon Ball fans were saddened by the death of Brice Armstrong, who played the role of narrator.