Voice Actor Mike McFarland Passes Away at 56

#news #Voice actor September 10, 2026

by Tamara Lazic

Voice actor Mike McFarland passed away at 56 on September 9, 2026. McFarland also directed and produced numerous anime dubs at Funimation and later Crunchyroll. Fans will remember him as the original voice of Master Roshi, Buggy in Dragon Ball, Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan, Teppei Sugo in Psycho-Pass, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Kotaro Amon in the Tokyo Ghoul series, and many more. One of his final roles was Mashirao Ojiro in the final season of My Hero Academia.

In addition to voicing characters in many popular titles, McFarland also directed dubs for titles such as Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist, the Rebuild of Evangelion, and Summer Wars.

McFarland was previously diagnosed with glioblastoma. His fellow voice actors, led by Brandon McInnis, Michael J. Tatum, and Brina Palencia, ran a GoFundMe to collect donations for his care. Many of them have also shared farewell messages. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tatum wrote:

Mike McFarland, my dear friend and mentor of over twenty years, is gone. A rarer, more beautiful soul this world will never know.
Rest in peace, Salt. The love you created endures, but damned if I know how we’ll get on without you around to share it back with.

Many well-known names in the voice acting industry shared their favorite moments with McFarland. Amanda Lee (AmaLee) remembers him as the first person who saw her range and helped her advance her voice acting career. Sarah Natochenny shared how he championed her for her Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian role and went along with her selfie poses.

Kyle Hebert, Robbie Daymond, and Alejandro Saab were also among those who shared their memories with McFarland and praised his talent and kindness.

mike mcfarland cliffon chapin attack on titan — Mike McFarland (Jean) and Clifford Chapin (Conny) in 2024, recreating the scene from the *Attack on Titan* finale. McFarland, who directed the dub, cast Chapin.

Crunchyroll also issued an official statement on McFarland's passing:
Mike brought so much to all of us who knew him, and to all of the anime fans who knew his work. He was an incredible talent, a good friend to so many of us, and will be sorely, sorely missed.

Mike McFarland's work has helped many of us discover love for anime. That and the mentorship and dedication he had for young talents in the dubbing industry will be his lasting legacy.