It has been reported that Brendan O’Brien, the voice behind Crash Bandicoot, passed away earlier this year at the age of 60.
O'Brien was born on May 9th, 1962. According to his obituary, his career in acting began at the tender age of 10, when he was featured in the first episode of the TV show The Streets of San Francisco alongside his father.
A keen musician and performer, he would go on to star in movies and TV shows, but gamers will know him best from his incredible contribution to the Crash Bandicoot series, to which he lent his vocal talents between 1996 and 2004.
"He encouraged nostalgic Crash fans in their own pursuits and loved signing their memorabilia," reads his obituary. "Like music, designing character voices for animation, radio and video games came naturally to him." He passed away on March 23rd, 2023.
As well as bringing Crash to life, O’Brien would voice other characters in the series, such as Tiny Tiger, Dr. N. Gin, and Dr. Nitrus Brio.
As Destructoid notes, what's remarkable is that he never actually uttered any dialogue when voicing Crash but instead created an entire personality based around yelps, grunts and other sounds – sounds which have become an iconic, unforgettable part of the character.
Everyone at Time Extension would like to share their condolences with O’Brien's family and friends at this difficult time.