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On the morning of August 27, 2026, the family and agent of Peter Cullen have publicly revealed that Peter Cullen, the longtime voice of Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise, has sadly passed away yesterday in his Los Angeles home at the age of 85.
In a statement released by Peter’s family: “Peter Cullen passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family – and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide. His family asks 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.'”
The cause of death is presently unclear.
Raised from humble beginnings in Montreal, the Canadian voice actor would become the voice of many childhoods over the years, voicing the likes of Optimus Prime in Transformers, Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, Monterey Jack in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, KARR in Knight Rider and the title character in Predator.
Peter also lent his voice to many film trailers and television commercials, most notably being the “Voice of God” or “Big Guy” announcer in many Toonami promos during the 2000’s. Peter was also the narrator in Toonami’s first original series IGPX in 2005.
Due to old age and ailing health, Peter Cullen would semi-retire from his acting roles since the 2010’s, mainly focusing on continuing to voice Optimus Prime in his later years. As such, he would not return for promos during Toonami’s revival era since 2012, with his “Voice of God” roles being replaced by Howard Parker.
Toonami commemorated the late Peter Cullen by posting a remaster of their Gundam Wing trailer on their Facebook page, stating: “Rest in power, Peter Cullen. One of one. You will be missed.”
adult swim on X (formerly Twitter): “Rest in power, Peter Cullen. One of one. You will be missed. pic.twitter.com/Jobl0shIoo / X”
Rest in power, Peter Cullen. One of one. You will be missed. pic.twitter.com/Jobl0shIoo
We here at Toonami Squad join our fellow Toonami Faithful and Peter’s fans worldwide in sending our thoughts to his family and friends. Rest in Peace, Peter. Thank you for everything, and as Optimus himself would say: “Till all are one.”
