The power of Greyskull is such that the original animated series focusing on He-Man and the Masters of The Universe is one that has only continued decades following its premiere. In recent years, Netflix released a handful of new series that once again took us to the universe of Prince Adam and the nefarious Skeletor, offering adventures for both classic fans and newcomers alike. Unfortunately, one of Greyskull’s finest, John Erwin, has passed away at the age of 88. On top of lending his voice talents to Eternia, Erwin had plenty of other parts to play in the animation world.
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Erwin’s agency was the one to spread the news regarding Erwin’s passing as it shared the announcement with the outlet Deadline. On top of playing Eternia’s protector, the voice actor also played Reggie Mantle on The Archie Show along with television mascot “Morris The Cat.” While Erwin played He-Man in the original series that first hit the small screen in 1985, he seemingly was never remiss to return to the role. In 2005, Erwin once again played He-Man in an episode of Family Guy titled “Brian The Bachelor and you can check out the specific cutaway gag below.
Erwin’s Friends Respond
Following the news of her friend’s passing, She-Ra voice actress Melendy Britt shared a touching tribute to Erwin that read, “Letter to my brother. Aside from being friends in real life, for forty years, we had been a team. We were He-Man and She-Ra. To have “my brother” pass on is a tremendous sorry even though I know life is not infinite. The tears I have are because John was such a special, quiet man and we shared a very special relationship in those roles as twin brother and sister. Your body of work will live in the hearts of so many people to whom you have love and strength and hope and laughter in times of difficult and the need to be calmed by laughter and hope.”
Britt’s message continued, “Working with you gave me strength and hope and caring as well. I remember the working times when I felt I could stand on your shoulders when I was going through a difficult day. Times when you reminded me of who I was portraying, your twin She-Ra, the most powerful woman in the world. There were wonderful moments with all of our fellow actors. Times of good work, times of sincere caring, and times of joyous laughter. Now that you are gone and I cannot say hello anymore, my heart aches, and know you lived your life the way you wanted to live it. I’m glad I have a few lines of your voice messages to me to listen to, and as well, watch as you portrayed and said ‘I have the Power!” You did and still do. The joy and camaraderie you gave to me will keep giving me the strength you always wanted me to share. After all, we were twins. He-Man and She-Ra forever.”
The Voice of Skeletor Mourns
Voice actor Alan Oppenheimer, who played the original animated series villain Skeletor, also had words to share, “Working with John Erwin was a ballad of irreverence, professionalism, and surprise… Surprise of how many life stories he had: he was a series actor, writer, performer of commercials, musician, painter, and an all around lovely gentleman, an indelible addition to my life.”
