Peter Cullen, the voice actor who became famous for playing Optimus Prime in Transformers and Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, has died aged 85.
Cullen died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to his agent Kevin Motley, who confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
His family also shared a statement remembering the actor and his decades-long career. They said he "passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family - and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide".
The family further urged people to remember Cullen for the values he stood for. "That you honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity and loyalty and always remember 'be strong enough to be gentle'," they said.
Cullen was born in Montreal and spent decades working across television, films and video games. His biggest association was with Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. He became the character's voice for generations of Transformers fans and continued to play the role in films such as Transformers: The Last Knight, Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
The actor also had a completely different side to his voice career through Eeyore. He began voicing the character in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which aired from 1988 to 1991. His version of the gloomy donkey later appeared in Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year and several other Winnie the Pooh projects.
Cullen's voice was also heard in several other popular films and television shows. He played King Kong in the 1976 film and voiced K.A.R.R., the dangerous counterpart to K.I.T.T., in Knight Rider. He returned to the role when the series was revived in 2009.
One of his lesser-known contributions came in Predator. Cullen created the unusual clicking sounds made by the creature in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film.
Before establishing himself as a voice actor, Cullen appeared as a live-action performer and worked as an announcer.
