Brendan O’Brien, who lent his voice to several characters in the original Crash Bandicoot games, has died. He was 60.
The late voice actor passed on earlier this year on 23 March, but it wasn’t until the third week of May that news of his death got around. His cause of death has yet to be disclosed, with an obituary on Legacy.com remembering him for his talents as both a musician and actor. A brief passage about his time on the hit Naughty Dog series was also included:
One of his proudest moments was coming up with the original voices for the “Crash Bandicoot” video games during the Naughty Dog years of 1996 to 2004. He encouraged nostalgic Crash fans in their own pursuits and loved signing their memorabilia. Like music, designing character voices for animation, radio and video games came naturally to him.
Following news of his O’Brien’s passing, other tributes have poured in on social media, including one from the official game account. “Sharing our sincere condolences to Brendan O’Brien’s loved ones for his passing. He was an incredible talent who brought Crash Bandicoot and other Crash characters to life. He will forever live on in the hearts of Crash fans,” it wrote.
Hailing from a family of entertainers, O’Brien began his own acting career at 10 years old. While he had appearances in Grindhouse and Riverdale, he was best known for voicing the titular character in Crash Bandicoot, alongside Doctor Neo Cortex, Nitrus Brio, Tiny Tiger, and more. Scott Whyte (Captain Qwark in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart) is the current voice for the character, having taken over the role with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.
Rest in peace, good sir, and thank you for the memories.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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