It's the end of an era for Transformers fans
Peter Cullen, the voice actor who is best known for his role as Autobot leader Optimus Prime in the Transformers cartoon series, video games, and live-action movies, has died. He was 85. Cullen is also well known as the longtime voice of Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh cartoons.
TMZ was first to report the news of Cullen's passing.
"Peter Cullen passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family — and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide," a statement shared with TMZ reads. "His family asks that you honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty and always remember 'be strong enough to be gentle.'"
Cullen first voiced Optimus Prime in 1984, with the original animated series based on the Transformers toyline. He reprised the role across multiple animated projects, video games, and the live-action movie series that was helmed first by Michael Bay and later by Travis Knight (Bumblebee) and Steven Caple Jr. (Rise of the Beasts). Cullen's acting credits go well beyond Transformers, though; he was a prominent voice actor in 1980s and 1990s, lending his voice to characters like Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh cartoons, Nintendo's Mario in the original Donkey Kong animated series, and the Predator in Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1987 sci-fi action classic.
Cullen was a staple of after-school and Saturday morning cartoon fare. His credits also include
