Brendan O'Brien, the original voice of Crash Bandicoot, has passed away at age 60. A eulogy has been posted online and friends and fans have been showing their admiration for the voice actor on social media.
O'Brien voiced Crash Bandicoot from 1996 to 2004, and helped create the iconic personality that made the character so famous in gaming. Some of his more well-known lines were even said to be improvised by O'Brien, who worked hard to ensure the character stood out in the crowds of other anthropomorphic animals.
A statement from his online eulogy reads: "One of his proudest moments was coming up with the original voices for the "Crash Bandicoot" video games during the Naughty Dog years of 1996 to 2004. He encouraged nostalgic Crash fans in their own pursuits and loved signing their memorabilia. Like music, designing character voices for animation, radio and video games came naturally to him."
It's likely that the Crash we know today wouldn't be around without O'Brien lending his voice to the character. Gaming has lost an important figure.