If you grew up in the 80s, you'll surely remember He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a TV series in which the hero He-Man battled the evil Skeletor, who in each episode made up new nefarious things to do on the planet of Eternia.
Based on Mattel's toys, the show was hugely popular and had a massive cast of characters as Mattel wanted to sell toys. However, it was reasonably well produced and actually quite well made compared to much else from the same era. The series has been revived and rebooted several times, and He-Man has been played by many, not least Dolph Lundgren in a live action movie.
But the first to play him was John Erwin, who forever shaped what a He-Man should sound like (and also voiced a lot of other characters in other franchises). Now, Deadline reports that he sadly passed away in late December. Erwin was 88 years old and died of natural causes at his home in California.
Actress Melendy Britt, who played He-Man's sister She-Ra, commented on his passing via PR firm Celebworx in a memorial she called Letter to My Brother, writing in part:
"Aside from being friends in real life, For 40 years, we had been a team. We were He Man and She Ra. To have "my brother" pass on is a tremendous sorrow even though I know life is not infinite. The tears I have are because John was such a special quiet man and we shared a very special relationship in those roles as twin brother and sister."
We want to thank him for all the great memories, and He-Man will live on thanks to Erwin's phenomenal and iconic performance.
