It has been reported that Brendan O’Brien, the voice actor responsible for bringing Crash Bandicoot to life on the PlayStation back in 1996, has died. He was 60 years old.
Earlier this morning, it was revealed that the actor had passed away on Mar. 23 of this year, with the news of his death not being made readily available until today. The cause of his death is unknown, and his family has made no official comment on the subject.
Brendan was best known for voicing Crash in the original Crash Bandicoot, but he also lent his vocal talents to several other characters in the game. These included Dr. Neo Cortex, Dr. Nitrus Brio, and Tiny Tiger, and he reprised the roles in all three games from the original trilogy. He would continue to provide voice work for the Crash series until the early 2000s, upon which he was replaced by Jess Harnell.
He was also credited with several other roles which spanned film and television. These included works such as the Spawn Animated Series and the action-horror film Grindhouse. While many of them were from the ’90s and early 2000s, others such as his role in the CW series Riverdale were more recent.
Fans of both the Crash Bandicoot series and Brendan himself have shared an outpouring of grief via Twitter and other social media outlets. Most all of them have spoken to the impact his voice acting had on their enjoyment of the games, and to their sadness at his passing.
Our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.
