Beloved ‘Dragon Ball Z’ Narrator Jose Lavat Has Passed Away

Today, the Dragon Ball fandom is coming together to mourn the loss of one of its own. According to reports, a beloved narrator from one of Dragon Ball Z's most iconic dubs has passed away.

Not long ago, Toei Animation confirmed Jose Lavat's passing with a touching tribute on social media. Over on Twitter, the company honored the vetted actor by thanking him for the work he did on making Dragon Ball Z the global phenomenon it has become.

"Rest in peace Jose Lavat, an amazing dubbing actor who lended his voice talent to many famous characters for Hispanic audiences including the narrator in Dragon Ball Z. Thank you #PepeLavat for everything," the message reads.

Rest in peace Jose Lavat, an amazing dubbing actor who lended his voice talent to many famous characters for Hispanic audiences including the narrator in #DragonBallZ. Thank you #PepeLavat for everything. pic.twitter.com/uxfuxmFw4x

— Toei Animation (@ToeiAnimation) May 15, 2018

Lavat's death is a difficult one for fans to process, and audiences who grew up with Dragon Ball Z's Latin America Spanish dub will remember the actor fondly. Ever since the anime was brought abroad, Latin America has welcomed Son Goku warmly, and Dragon Ball Z developed a massive following in countries such as Mexico. It was Lavat who helped bring that show to life for Spanish-speaking audiences, and fans are paying tribute to the actor on social media to share their thanks.

While Lavat may be best known by anime fans for his work on Dragon Ball Z, the actor did voice work on plenty of other titles. Not only did Lavat do the Spanish dub of Soichiro Yagami in Death Note, but he also did dubs for Tarzan, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and Street Fighter.

What is your favorite narration from Lavat in Dragon Ball Z? Let me know in the comments or find me on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime.