R.I.P., Chairface Chippendale

What an unpleasant coincidence: No sooner do I buy the first-season DVD set of The Tick animated series than I find that Tony Jay has died.

I have a recurring daydream of becoming a voice actor, so I tend to take an interest in the people working in the field. Tony Jay was always one of my favorites. Among his many, many roles--and one of my favorites--was the Elder God in the Legacy of Kain video game series. He's probably best known for his work in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but he also had a role on Lois and Clark, and a small part in The Nightmare Before Christmas. He was such a prolific voice and character actor that he would show up fairly frequently in some project or another, and every time he did, it was always a nice surprise.

I always joked about wanting the voice of Barry White, but if I were ever really given the choice of whose voice I would like to have, it would be Tony Jay's. It was this perfect blend of refinement and menace. Every time you heard it, you knew somebody was about to get messed up...elegantly.

A very unfortunate passing.