LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – Jim Ward, a veteran voice actor known for bringing a wide range of animated characters to life, has passed away at the age of 66. His wife, Janice, confirmed that he died on Wednesday, Dec. 10, due to complications from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Ward had been living in a memory care facility, where he had lost virtually all short- and long-term memory, according to a 2021 post on his Facebook page signed by Janice.
Ward lent his voice to iconic animated characters, including Doug Dimmadome in The Fairly OddParents, Professor X in Wolverine and the X-Men (2009), and Bertrand in Danny Phantom. The Fairly OddParents creator Butch Hartman called him a “voice actor extraordinaire” and a “good friend,” praising Ward for creating some of the most memorable voices in animation. Beyond television, Ward’s voice work extended to video games such as Call of Duty: WWII, Red Dead Redemption II, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Ratchet & Clank, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, and the Destroy All Humans! series. He also co-hosted The Stephanie Miller Show radio program for 13 years, leaving in 2017. Miller described his passing as “one of the saddest messages” she had ever received and remembered him as “beyond brilliance.”