James Carter Cathcart, a prolific voice actor known for his work on the Pokémon anime English dub, has passed away at the age of 71. Voice actor Erica Schroeder confirmed Cathcart’s passing on Instagram.
Cathcart began work on the series as the original voice of protagonist Ash Ketchum’s rival, Gary Oak, in the 1998 pilot. He was also one of the few actors who stayed on the show after the dub was handed over from 4Kids to The Pokémon Company in 2006, and went on to voice Professor Oak and Team Rocket villains James and Meowth, as well as dozens of other roles across the series’ run. Cathcart retired from voice acting in 2023 after being diagnosed with throat cancer, but was able to contribute to the original Pokémon series’ finale that premiered that year. The show has since moved on to a new cast and storyline with the Horizons series.
“Rest in peace, dear sweet man,” Schroeder’s post reads. “I will miss you. The community will miss you. The world will miss you. One of the most joyful, exuberant, kind-hearted, and talented souls no longer walks with us. James Carter Cathcart, you were one of a kind, a gentle, beautiful, playful genius, and I was happy to call you my friend.
“Master of the pen, piano, and microphone. Friend to many. Loving father and husband. Thank you for your gifts.”
As news has spread, members of the Pokémon fandom and beyond have paid tribute to Cathcart online. Some other notable credits include Vector the Crocodile in the Sonic series, and Weevil Underwood in Yu-Gi-Oh!
Last year, the Pokémon community lost another one of the show’s original voice actors as Rachael Lillis, the original voice of Misty and Jessie, passed away after a battle with breast cancer.