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American veteran anime voice actor Mike McFarland has died at the age of 56 following a battle with brain cancer.
McFarland died on Wednesday, with the news of his death announced by his friend and fellow voice actor, Brina Palencia. According to Palencia, the actor spent his final days surrounded by friends and family at a care facility in Dallas, Texas.
She also revealed that members of the voice-over community continued to visit McFarland during the months leading up to his death. His friends reportedly spent time with him singing songs, sharing stories and creating moments intended to lift his spirits during his final days.
Palencia said McFarland would have wanted people who wished to honour his memory to support charitable causes instead. She encouraged donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the SPCA in his memory.
The news of his death prompted an outpouring of tributes from colleagues and friends who worked with him throughout his career.
Among those who paid tribute was voice actor Matt Mercer, who described McFarland as a close friend and a major influence on his professional journey.
In an emotional Instagram tribute, Mercer recalled McFarland as witty, welcoming, intelligent and exceptionally talented. He also reflected on the opportunities McFarland gave him, including chances to work on major anime productions that later became defining parts of his career.
“Been swinging between numb and emotional since yesterday. Mike McFarland has been a source of joy for so many for so long,” Mercer wrote.
He described McFarland as one of his favourite directors to work with, noting that the late actor and director took chances on him and brought him into projects including Attack on Titan and One Piece.
Beyond their professional relationship, Mercer remembered McFarland as a friend with whom he shared several memorable experiences.
He recalled staying at McFarland’s home during visits to Texas, attending goth clubs in Dallas, meeting at conventions and enjoying adventures whenever McFarland travelled to the West Coast.
Mercer said those moments were consistently filled with laughter, adding that McFarland was “terrifyingly clever and witty” as well as welcoming and playful.
He concluded his tribute by expressing his sadness over the loss and describing McFarland as someone who was taken away too soon.
McFarland’s influence extended well beyond his work as a voice actor. He was regarded as one of the original and influential figures in Texas-based anime production and worked across several areas of the industry.
In addition to performing as a voice actor, he worked as a scriptwriter, director and line producer, contributing extensively to English-language dubs of Japanese anime.
He became particularly recognised for his work on Funimation’s English dubs of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, where he was among the original English voices associated with the franchise.
His other notable credits included Psycho-Pass, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece and Attack on Titan. He was also known for voicing Buggy the Clown in Funimation’s English dub of One Piece.
His work behind the scenes was equally significant. McFarland served as a voice director on several prominent Funimation productions, including Dragon Ball, Fullmetal Alchemist, Case Closed and Attack on Titan.
He also worked as a voice director on the Rebuild of Evangelion films and Summer Wars, further establishing his reputation within the anime dubbing industry.
For decades, McFarland contributed to bringing Japanese animation to English-speaking audiences, both through his performances and his work guiding other actors and production teams.
His death has therefore left a significant gap within the voice-over and anime communities, with colleagues remembering not only his professional achievements but also his generosity, humour and willingness to support fellow performers.
As tributes continue to emerge, McFarland’s body of work remains a lasting part of the English-language anime industry he helped shape.
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