Christopher Ayres obit

Chris Ayres, the voice behind 'Dragon Ball Z's Frieza, dies at 56

 

He was not on the list.

Chris Ayres, known for being the voice behind "Dragon Ball Z" villain Frieza, has died after battling COPD and emphysema. He was 56.

Ayres' girlfriend Krystal LaPorte confirmed the voice actor's death on Twitter Tuesday with several photos of her and the actor, writing that at the time of his death her "world went dark."

"Chris loved you all. How much he loved other people filled the vast majority of our conversations," LaPorte wrote. "To those of you who truly loved him back, thank you."

The voice actor started his career in 1973 for the Japanese animated series "Gatchaman." Ayres' first time working with the "Dragon Ball Z" franchise started in 2009 as he voiced for both video games and the English version of the "Dragon Ball Z Kai" series. He also voiced for the role of Freiza for the "Dragon Ball Z Super" series from 2015- 2018, according to IMDb.

LaPorte, who also voiced for several "Dragon Ball Z" series, added: "I know a lot of people will ask 'is there anything I can do?' Please be more like Chris. Please if you learned anything from him, put it in this world."

Fellow voice actors and fans sent their condolences for Ayers on Twitter honoring his "impactful legacy."

"I can’t stop crying about the loss of my dear friend and colleague, Chris Ayers. I never thought I’d say this because I used to tease him about it all the time, but thank you Chris, for the Love and Laughter, Always…" wrote Sean Schemmel, who voiced Goku and King Kai for "Dragon Ball Z Super." "I’ll see you in Otherworld bro, and we’ll spar again, Frieza.."

Anime streaming platform Crunchyroll tweeted: "Rest in Peace, Chris Ayres. Your impactful legacy in the anime community will always remain, but your presence will be greatly missed." 

"The anime industry lost a living angel today. It’s impossible to describe how pure Chris Ayres was, and his dedication to his craft was unmatched," voice actor Christopher Sabat wrote. 

 

Filmography

Anime

List of voice performances in animation Year       Title       Role       Notes    Source

2003      Saint Seiya          Ushio     ADV dub             

2004      Kino's Journey   Bartender                           

2004      Bast of Syndrome            Dr. Pluto                             

2004      Mezzo DSA          Motoharu, Taneri, Baba, Hanamura                        

2004      Sister Princess   Islander                               

2005      A Tree of Palme                Sawadust                            

2005      Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu            Atsunobu Hayashimizu                 

2005      Gantz    Kei Kurono                         

2005      Godannar            Tetsuya Kouji                    

2005      Initial D                 Miki       Funimation dub               

2005      Maburaho           Yukihiko Nakamaru                        

2005      Yugo the Negotiator        Yusuf Ali Mesa                  

2006      Diamond Daydreams      Kenji Kurata                       

2006      Macross               Lin Kaifun            ADV dub             

2006      Nanaka 6/17      Jinpachi Arashiyama                       

2006      Papuwa                Oshodani                            

2006      Speed Grapher Suitengu                             

2006      Nerima Daikon Brothers                                ADR director     

2009      Fairy Tail              Everlue                                

2010      Sengoku Basara                 Shigen Takeda                  

2010      Black Butler        Soma Asman Kadar                         

2010      Dragon Ball Z Kai              Frieza                   

2010      Golgo 13              Dave McCartney                              

2010      Legends of the Dark King: A Fist of the North Star Story   Elder                     

2010      Tears to Tiara     Arthur, Pwyll                     

2010      Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt              Corset                  

2011      Clannad After Story         Sudou, Kinoshita, various characters                       

2013      Another               Yosuke Sakakibara                          

2013      Kokoro Connect                Inari's brother                   

2016      Hanayamata       Additional voices              ADR director     

2017–2018          Dragon Ball Super            Frieza    Episodes 1-27   

 

Films

List of voice performances in feature, direct-to-video and television films Year     Series    Role       Notes    Source

2011      Mardock Scramble: The First Compression            Welldone the Pussyhand                             

2012      Gintama: The Movie       Kamui, Taizo Hasegawa, Tatsuma Sakamoto, Ner                              

2012      Sengoku Basara: The Last Party Shingen Takeda                                

2015      Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'    Frieza                   

2018      Dragon Ball Super: Broly                Frieza    Final film role    

2021      The Dog Park: Prank Calls              Caller #1              Short; Final role               

 

Video games

List of voice performances in video games Year   Title       Role       Notes    Source

2008      The Last Remnant            Wagram                              

2010–2018          Dragon Ball series            Frieza   

 

Theatre credits

List of acting and directing credits in the theater Year      Title       Role       Notes    Source

1989-1991          Peter Pan             Slightly, John Darling (understudy)           Tour      

1990-1991          Peter Pan             Slightly, John Darling (understudy)           Broadway - Lunt-Fontanne_Theatre       

1991-1992          Peter Pan             Slightly, John Darling (understudy)           Broadway - Minskoff_Theatre   

1999      The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas                        Director and Choreographer

 

Country Playhouse, Houston, TX