The voice acting community suffered a tragic loss this week as Brad Venable, known for his work as multiple side characters in last year’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, passed away at age 43. He also lent his voice to a variety of other roles in games and anime, with some of the most notable being V's companions Griffin and Nightmare in Devil May Cry 5, Daz in the English dub of Attack On Titan, and additional voices in Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the recent Demon Souls remake, and Dragon Ball Super.
In addition to his voice acting work, which started with his first VA role in World Of Warcraft way back in 2004, Venable worked as a voice acting instructor, sharing his knowledge and expertise with the next generation of video game voices. He was also well regarded as a kind friend to everyone he worked with, making the news of his passing all the more heartbreaking to those who knew him.
IGN reports that Brad Venable passed away from unknown causes earlier this week. Since then, fellow voice actors like Brian Olvera (Borderlands 3, Dragon Ball Super), Darrel J. Delfin (Secret of Mana), Erica Mendez (Street Fighter V, Aggretsuko), and Terry Daniel have posted heartfelt tributes and farewells to their friend and co-worker on Twitter with his surviving wife’s blessing, all of which can be seen below:
Given the large outpour of love and support that has come since the news of Brad Venable's death was first released to the public, it's clear that he was deeply loved throughout the traditionally close-knit voice acting community. It's always sad to hear news of a talented performer passing away, especially one that seemed to have so much life ahead of him. He will surely be missed by both his coworkers and the fans who admired his work in both video games and anime.
Indeed, Brad Venable made a lasting impact on the world through his work in titles like Devil May Cry 5 and Final Fantasy VII Remake, as well as his work as a teacher for an up-and-coming generation of voice actors. Screen Rant sends its deepest condolences to Venable’s friends and family for their loss.
Source: IGN, Brian Olvera, Darrel J. Delfin, Erica Mendez, Terry Daniel