Beloved and extremely successful voice actor Chris Ayres has passed away at the age of 56. Ayres has accumulated over 200 credits throughout his years and thousands of fans across the globe. He is perhaps most well known for his role as Frieza in the Dragon Ball series. Although the ultimate cause of his death wasn’t confirmed, it’s no secret that Ayres has been fighting with his health for quite some time now.
Ayres has always been extremely open and vulnerable when it came to sharing his health journey, which he would usually do via social media in order to keep fans in the loop. The Dragon Ball star was diagnosed back in 2017 with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This disease causes intense inflammation in his lungs, a chronic cough, and an overall difficult time breathing.
Ayres under-went a lung transplant in 2019 and stated on a GoFundMe page, “I still require a battery of 41 pills a day, with additional breathing and nebulizer treatments. I also require a continuous supply of medical masks, and sanitizing products.” Ayres' girlfriend, Krystal LaPorte, was the one to share the tragic news with his Dragon Ball fans. She shared on social media, “On October 18th at 8:40 pm, my world went dark. Christopher Owens Ayres passed away peacefully, held close by his mother, brother, and girlfriend. 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. You fed the dreams of a future that kept him going longer than any normal person could go.”
For Ayres, whose passion and career rely on his voice and the stability of his lungs, his diagnosis was complete devastation. Yet, he persevered and was extremely dedicated to his craft. Ayres took on the role of Frieza after being a part of Dragon Ball Z Kai. He went on to be a crucial presence on the show and saw out the entirety of the franchise, ending with the film, Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
Funimation and Adult Swim both took to Twitter to express respect and pay homage to the late Ayres. Of course, Dragon Ball fans took over social media as well in their attempts to express their condolences and just how much love and gratitude they have for his work.
Source: Krystal LaPorte/Twitter