Jim Ward, voice actor for animated shows like The Fairly OddParents, Ben 10, and Wolverine and the X-Men, has died. He was 66.
Ward’s rep confirmed news of his death in a statement to Deadline.
“He was one of the most loyal and talented clients since the early ‘80s,” Arlene Thornton said. “His ability to improvise on the spot as well as his dead-on impressions were beyond impressive. He was a one-man comedy show every time he came to the office to do his auditions.”
She continued, “We will miss him dearly and we will never forget the joy he brought to our lives on a daily basis.”
Ward’s wife, Janice, told TMZ he died on Wednesday, December 10, due to complications from advanced Alzheimer’s.
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The voice actor was best known for his work on Nickelodeon’s The Fairly OddParents. In the animated series, Ward voiced characters like Doug Dimmadome, Chet Ubetcha, Dif, and Pa Speevak, among others. Ward’s other credits include Danny Phantom, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Ben 10, Catscratch, Biker Mice from Mars, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
In 2008, he worked on Wolverine and the X-Men, voicing characters such as Professor X, Sentinels, Warren Worthington II, and Abraham Cornelius, among others.
Ward also did voice work for The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, We Bare Bears, and Justice League Action. His last animated series was in 2016 with New Looney Tunes, voicing Squint Eastwood.
In film, Ward voiced Stretch in 1997’s Casper: A Spirited Beginning and 1998’s Casper Meets Wendy. He reprised his Fairly OddParents roles in the 2004 film The Fairly OddParents: Channel Chasers, Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, and 2006’s The Fairly OddParents: Fairy Idol.
Other film credits included 2007’s Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix, 2010’s Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, 2012’s Ben 10: Destroy Aliens, 2012’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, 2015’s Inside Out, and 2016’s Ratchet & Clank, playing Captain Qwark.
Ward co-hosted The Stephanie Miller Show for 13 years before leaving in 2017. Miller took to social media to remember Ward, saying, “One of the saddest messages I have ever received from the amazing Mrs Jim Ward: Our wonderful ‘voice deity’ as Steph anointed Jim Ward, passed away today at 10:45am.”