Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime, passes away at age 85

Famed Autobot leader Optimus Prime has become one with the Matrix… for one last time.

Following the recent deaths of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry this week (and Mary Rivera earlier this year), Peter Cullen has sadly passed away at age 85. Forbes also confirms this news after it was initially reported by TMZ and made official by Cullen’s family. As of this writing, no cause of death has been announced.

“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.”

Peter Cullen, born in Montreal, Canada in July 1941, has been the iconic voice of the Autobot leader since the franchise’s debut through the classic 1984 animated series The Transformers (often nicknamed Transformers G1 by fans). Over the next 40 years, Peter Cullen brought various iterations of Optimus Prime to life with a gentle but commanding voice. Peter’s voice work as Optimus was inspired by his brother Larry Cullen, who once served in the Marine Corps and a Vietnam War veteran.

Aside from the Autobot leader having countless iterations over the past few decades, Optimus has also (infamously) had many deaths… and revivals during the same time span, with the character’s first major death happening 40 years ago in Transformers: The Movie.

It is also true that while Peter Cullen voiced Optimus (and occasionally his younger pre-Prime self Orion Pax)in so many Transformers movies (like the Michael Bay live action movie franchise), tv shows, and video games, other actors have also stepped into the role. Gary Chalk voiced another version of the character in the Transformers Unicron Trilogy from 2002-2006 (Transformers: Armada/Energon/Cybertron) and as Optimus Primal in Beast Wars/Beast Machines, and David Kaye did the same in 2007’s Transformers: Animated.

While his role in the Transformers franchise will arguably be his most defining legacy, he has had additional voice acting roles in other franchises. Peter voiced Monterey Jack in Season 1 of Disney’s Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers animated series, the vocals of the Predator in the Arnold Schwarzenegger 80s film, one of the voices behind Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, KARR from Knight Rider, Thaedus from Invincible Season 2, and many more. Peter also narrated a tv commercial for the 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars micro series, as well as the narrator in the Star Wars fan film series I.M.P.S The Relentless.

With Transformers: Rise of the Beasts being Peter Cullen’s last voice appearance as Optimus Prime, it remains to be seen how Hasbro will handle the voice of the Autobot leader after Peter’s death. Peter Cullen will undeniably be missed by his family members, personal friends/colleagues including Frank Welker, and generations of fans over the decades.

Francis Parco | Associate Editor

Francis has been gaming since he was little, with PlayStation as his most preferred platform growing up. He also games on PC, though. Other interests include Star Wars (a whole lot of it), Lego Bionicle, Marvel, and especially other Disney properties.