Mike McFarland, The Voice Of Master Roshi In 'Dragon Ball Z' Has Passed Away at 56
Image Source: Essential Japan
Mike McFarland, the voice actor best known for the English voices of Master Roshi and Captain Buggy in the Dragon Ball and One Piece franchises, respectively, passed away on September 9th at age 56, after a lengthy battle with glioblastoma, which is a form of brain cancer.
Born on July 14th, 1970, in Texas City, Texas, Mike McFarland joined Funimation (now Crunchyroll) in 1997 and was soon cast as Master Roshi in Dragon Ball Z, taking over for Ocean Group actor Peter Kelamis (who took over the role and Son Gokū from Ian James Corlett). McFarland was one of the first voice actors the studio hired, making his first appearance in their 1998 English dub of Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle as not only Roshi but also Count Lucifer and Ghastel. In addition to Master Roshi, McFarland's other roles in the Dragon Ball franchise included Yajirobe, Android 8, Emperor Pilaf in Dragon Ball Mystical Adventure, Baby, and Pui Pui. McFarland was also known for Captain Buggy in the Funimation dub of One Piece, George in the Funimation dub of Case Closed, Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan, Hiroshi Odokawa in Odd Taxi, and Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist. He was also a prolific ADR Director, and his directing credits included Case Closed, One Piece, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, Odd Taxi, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and he served as assistant ADR Director on Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.
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The actor had been struggling with health issues since January of last year after having to drop out of a Florida convention due to a brain tumor. A GoFundMe was launched by fellow voice actors J Michael Tatum and Brandon McInnis to help McFarland afford a live-in medical assistant. The actor underwent several surgeries before the tumor was discovered to be glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Mike McFarland and his work impacted several voice actors. Kyle Herbert, the English voice of adult Son Gohan, posted a tribute to McFarland on X:
Voice actress Kristen McGuire also paid tribute to McFarland, recounting how he helped her find her “boy voice during an early recording session.”
“It changed my career in a way I never expected,” She continued.7 “I’ll miss our conversations about music, movies, and food. I’ll miss his hugs and royal waves. Rest in peace, Mike. It was an honor to be your friend.”
Similar stories came pouring in, including a post from Chris Cason recalling how they both got started at Funimation.
Both Crunchyroll (formerly Funimation) and Viz Media released statements regarding his passing:
“Work hard, study well, eat and sleep plenty” is the motto of McFarland's most famous character, Master Roshi. The phrase seems poetic upon his passing. Rest in peace, Mike McFarland.
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