Dragon Ball voice actor Christopher Ayres, best known for voicing Frieza, has died aged 56.
His girlfriend, fellow voice actor Krystal Laporte, confirmed the news in a statement shared on social media, writing that he died on October 18. A cause of death has not yet been announced.
‘Christopher Owen Ayres passed away peacefully, held close by his mother, brother, and girlfriend,’ her post read.
‘His hands were held. His face was kissed,’ she continued.
Laporte went on to address anime fans saying, adding: ‘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 of you 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.
‘I hope where you are, the first thing you did was take a long, deep breath with your perfect lungs and dance again.’
Ayres was diagnosed with end-stage cardiac obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2017, a lung condition that causes breathing difficulties.
COPD is a common condition that mainly affects middle-aged or older adults who smoke, the official NHS website says. Many people do not realise they have it.
The breathing problems tend to get gradually worse over time and can limit your normal activities, although treatment can help keep the condition under control.
Ayres was open about having emphysema, an illness that defined by damage to the air sacs in the lungs.
A GoFundMe page was created in his honour in July 2020 to help finance his lung transplant, medical care and procedures.
Over $75,000 (£54,000) was raised, with Ayres writing: ‘I would like to begin by thanking this community for all of the support I’ve seen over the last few years.
‘Thank you for past donations, messages, prayers, well-wishes, good vibes, calls, and text messages. I found friendship in so many unexpected places. I would also like to take a moment to thank my organ donor.
‘That selfless, and very generous donation, allowed me a fighting chance in what felt like an impossible battle. I know they were loved, and must have family who miss them dearly, and will be forever grateful to them for their gift of life.’
In anime, Ayres was known as the voice of Frieza from Dragon Ball Z Kai, Kei Kurono from Gantz, Prince Soma from Black Butler, and Shingen Takeda from the Sengoku Basara series.
He was also known for Mock Combat for Cosplay panels at anime convention.
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