Rick May who voiced Star Fox 64 and Team Fortress II characters dies at 79 from coronavirus after contracting it in Seattle-area nursing home
Rick May, a voice actor from Star Fox 64 and Team Fortress II, as well as stage actor and teacher, has died at the age of 79 of the coronavirus, according to Rekindle School, a Seattle educational institution he had taught at.
‘Rick had suffered a stroke in February and had been moved into the nursing home for rehabilitation,’ the school said in a statement. ‘Unfortunately he caught the Covid-19 coronavirus when he was there. He was moved to Swedish hospital,’ which is located in Seattle, ‘where he received care before he passed on.’
It was not immediately clear whether May’s illness was linked to the Life Care Center in nearby Kirkland, Washington, an epicenter of the virus where at least 37 people died on at least 120 diagnoses as of Monday.
Beloved: Rick May, a voice actor from Star Fox 64 and Team Fortress II, as well as stage actor and teacher, has died at the age of 79 of the coronavirus, according to Rekindle School, a Seattle educational institution he had taught at
According to a New England Journal of Medicine report, the outbreak at the nursing home was probably connected to outbreaks at three other nursing homes in the area.
School officials called May ‘a wonderful teacher whose classes and students meant the world to him,’ adding that ‘he’ll be deeply missed.’
Amid a long and fruitful career as a performer, May was best known for bringing his talents to video games including Star Fox 64 – he did the voices of Peppy Hare and Andross – as well as Team Fortress II, playing The Soldier, and Age of Empires II, in which he narrated and voiced the role of Genghis Khan, according to Rekindle School.
The versatile performer and director was involved in more than 300 shows, according to the school, including Fiddler On the Roof, Death of a Salesman, and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum.
Feted: School officials called May ‘a wonderful teacher whose classes and students meant the world to him,’ adding that ‘he’ll be deeply missed’
Moving: Gamers made artistic tributes to the charismatic entertainer using his characters
A number of gamers paid tribute to the voice actor with artistic renderings and quoting his characters in social media posts.
The international pandemic has impacted a number of celebrities, as Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Idris Elba and Andy Cohen are among the notable names who have tested positive, as well as Prince Charles and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Appreciated: A number of Twitter users cited the voice actor’s work in memorials online
Other notable actresses to test positive for coronavirus include actresses Ali Wentworth, Olga Kurylenko, Debi Mazar and Rachel Matthews; and actors Kristofer Hivju and Daniel Dae Kim.
Performers to succumb to coronavirus-related symptoms include Jaws actress Lee Fierro, 91, Aliens actor Jay Benedict, 68, and Nashville actor Allen Garfield, 80.
As of Monday, the death total for COVID-19 was at 23,369 people in the U.S., The COVID Tracking Project reported, with 576,774 total positive diagnoses. On a global level, 119,666 people have died amid 119,666 positive diagnoses worldwide, Johns Hopkins University reported.