Veteran voice actor Chris Ayres, famous for his work as Dragon Ball's most iconic villain Frieza, and for many other anime projects, has passed away at 56. His passing was announced on social media by his girlfriend and fellow voice actress Krystal LaPorte along with a touching tribute.

Ayres took over the English voice of Frieza back in 2010 and worked in all of Dragon Ball's projects since then, including the latest series Dragon Ball Super and the feature animated films. 

He was forced to step down from the role in 2018 after a diagnosis of end-stage cardiac obstructive pulmonary disease that ultimately requires a double lung transplant. However, Ayres still reprised the role for Dragon Ball Super: Broly, his final appearance as the notorious villain.

Outside of Dragon Ball, Ayres was a prolific anime voice actor lending his voice to many popular series  like Gantz, Fairy Tale, One Piece, Black Butler, Initial D, and Sengoku Basara.