The voice acting world lost an absolute powerhouse on Monday morning. Tom Kane, the man who brought life to Yoda in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Professor Utonium in The Powerpuff Girls, died at 64 in a Kansas City hospital. His passing on May 18, 2026, was caused by complications related to a stroke, closing the book on a career that shaped decades of pop culture.
His talent agency, Galactic Productions, formally announced his death in a Facebook statement, as noted by geo.tv. Thomas Kane Roberts leaves behind a large, deeply loved family. He is survived by his wife Cindy Roberts (they were married in 1982) alongside their three biological children and six adopted children.
Kane was already absent from the recording booth. A severe stroke in September 2021 forced him into early retirement, impairing his ability to communicate verbally. His final official performance in the video game industry was voicing Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Admiral Ackbar in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Before that abrupt end, he recorded over 10,000 promos and even worked as the live announcer for the Oscars.
The gaming and animation fanbases are mourning hard right now. Beyond his defining work as Yoda, he was a staple in Marvel video games as Magneto and an absolute legend to Call of Duty Zombies players as Takeo Masaki. According to an IGN report covering his foundational work, developer Treyarch holds his contributions in incredibly high regard. Players are already pushing for an in-game tribute to honor Takeo in the upcoming zombie map installments.