Lalo on CALÓ: A moment of silence for Eric Bauza
The voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Porky Pig, and countless other beloved animated characters, Eric Bauza, passed away suddenly this past weekend. The selfless and just as beloved as his characters, Bauza was right across the street this Saturday while I was vending at a Dia de Los Muertos event in Pasadena's Paseo Mall. He spoke on a panel at Lightbox, an animation industry convention, and it would be his last animation industry event. Only 46, he left us as quickly as he became a giant in the field of voice over acting.
As someone put it online somewhere, everyone has a nice Eric Bauza story. Bauza was as nice as he was talented. And he was talented. I got to meet him and work with him on The Casagrandes TV series on Nickelodeon, and he also did voice work on The Casagrandes Movie I co-wrote. I have one Bauza story: I spotted him somewhere at the studio, or at a convention, right after it was announced that he would be following in the giant footsteps of Mel Blanc, and be the official voice of Bugs Bunny. I told him that I was soooooo proud of him, and that he was such a great role model and icon for Filipinos and people of color in the industry. Bauza smiled, scrunched his face and slightly shook his head no, as he was always the humblest superstar in the room.
This is a major loss to animation, and many of us in the field are still processing our shock about his exit. He is one of those few people who shine so brightly that you end up being thankful to have been on the planet at the same time with them. They say that about David Bowie, and they will say that about Eric Bauza.
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