RIP Christine Cavanaugh, voiced some of my favourite childhood cartoons http://t.co/JAXFaY80LN
One of the most famous voice-actors in America has died. Christine Cavanaugh passed away at the age of 51.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. It’s Unclear How She Died
R.I.P Christine Cavanaugh, who not only voiced Chuckie in ‘RUGRATS’ but DEXTER, Bunnie Rabbit and more. #Childhood http://t.co/OdqEtLmMCC
TMZ reports that the details of her death are “unclear.” According to Legacy.com, she passed away on December 22. An uncredited link addition to Cavanaugh’s Wikpedia page, made on December 30, states that she had been suffering from CML – chronic myelogenous leukemia.
2. She Was Paid Just $27,000 for Her Work on Babe
She’s arguably best known for her voice work in the 1995 smash hit movie Babe. In addition to her movie work, Cavanaugh also voiced Chuckie in Rugrats and Dexter in Dexter’s Laboratory. You can watch a tribute to her work above. She also acted in movies such as Jerry Maguire and TV shows such as ER. For her work on Babe, she was paid just $27,000, according to her IMDB page. The movie grossed over $250 million worldwide.
3. She Was Divorced With No Kids
According to her obituary, she didn’t have any kids of her own but was very close to her goddaughter, Isabel Torres, who was the daughter of her friend, Susan Yoshikawa Torres. Cavanaugh was married once to Kevin James Cavanaugh, they were wed in 1985 but divorced some years later. On December 30, Kevin posted this on his Facebook page:
4. The Voice of Bart Simpson Replaced Her on Rugrats in 2002
Nancy Cartwright took over the role of Chuckie in 2002. (Getty)
She retired from voice acting in 2001 when she was 38 to be closer to her family in Utah. Cavanaugh was replaced on Rugrats by Nancy Cartwright, most famous for voicing Bart Simpson. When Cartwright took over the part in 2002, she wrote on her website:
To try to duplicate the vocal stylings, the nuances and the ‘vocal gymnastics’ that Christine Cavanaugh created with Chuckie’s voice has presented me with the most challenging job of my entire career. I am loving this job and consider myself so fortunate to work on such a charming and well-written show.
It was rumored that Cavanaugh’s retirement was due to her suffering from throat cancer. She loved her retirement life, as is discussed in her obit:
There is more than can be mentioned in brief page in the final chapter of a life too large to be described, to know the story you would have had to read the book. Unfortunately we really only know the parts we played big or small. Christine has touched many lives, some we know and others we do not. Whether she was a baby sitter as an adolescent, a voice in a cartoon, an aunt, a sister, and friend, young or old it didn’t matter. She always made the most of where you were and what circumstance arose. Her imagination, humor and intelligence were evident to anyone who had the pleasure of meeting her. It was of no surprise when she was able to share her talents with the world. Many know of her from the roles she played, but in each role there was a part of her showing through that the ones who truly knew her could see. The childlike awe of the world, humor to deal with the unpleasantness of reality, strength to deal with the challenges we all face, and intelligence to know when to act or accept what fate had allowed. Christine lived her life the way she wanted.
5. She Grew Up in Utah & Went to School in Hawaii
According to her IMDB page, Cavanaugh was born in Layton, Utah, in August 1963. In her obituary it says that she graduated from high school there in 1981 and went on to study at Utah State University and eventually on to the University of Hawaii. From there she moved to California to pursue voice acting, something she got interested in after she became friends with an animator.
