Canadian voice actor Peter Cullen, best known for voicing the heroic Optimus Prime across numerous ‘Transformers’ films, TV shows and video games, as well as the gloomy Eeyore in several ‘Winnie the Pooh’ projects, has died at the age of 85.

Peter Cullen’s family releases statement

Cullen passed away on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his agent, Kevin Motley, who confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter. In a statement, his family said that he “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family — and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide.”The family also urged fans to honour his remarkable legacy by serving their communities and leading others with “compassion, integrity and loyalty”, while remembering his words: “Be strong enough to be gentle.”

Peter Cullen’s other iconic roles

Born in Montreal, Cullen also lent his voice to King Kong in the 1976 remake and played the villainous K.A.R.R. (Knight Automated Roving Robot) in both the 1982 and 2009 versions of ‘Knight Rider’. He was also behind the eerie clicking sounds made by the creature in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Predator’ (1987).Earlier in his career, Cullen worked as a live-action performer and served as the announcer for ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour’ and ‘The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour’.Cullen reprised his iconic role as Optimus Prime in ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ (2017), ‘Bumblebee’ (2018) and ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ (2023). Chris Hemsworth voiced the character in 2024’s animated film ‘Transformers One’.Cullen’s journey as Eeyore began with the 1988-91 animated series ‘The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’. He continued voicing the beloved gloomy donkey in ‘Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year’ (2002), as well as several other shows and videos.