Eric Bauza Records Two Voices for Simpsons Episode Before Death

Eric Bauza completed voice recordings for two characters in The Simpsons just days before his death Sunday. The veteran actor, known for voicing Bugs Bunny and the entire Looney Tunes roster, died at age 46 from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. His posthumous debut is scheduled to air on Fox on November 15 in the episode "Dream Scenari-Moe."

Bauza voiced restaurateur Mr. Fong and newspaper editor Harry Metsali in the episode. Cesar Mazariegos, co-executive producer and co-showrunner of the episode, confirmed the roles to Variety. Mazariegos stated that Bauza recorded in two sessions and described his performance as seamless. "He seamlessly dipped in and out of dozens of voices, both to give us options and just hilariously riffing while off-mic," Mazariegos said.

The loss shocked the production team, who had recently interacted with the actor. Mazariegos noted that Bauza bumped into him at the Creative Arts Emmys last month. Executive producer Matt Selman also saw Bauza at an event just last week. "He was absolutely someone we were excited to have come in again and again, and then we heard the news," Mazariegos said.

Bauza had over 400 acting credits across film, television, and video games. Recent work includes Coyote vs. Acme, where he voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and other characters. In 2026 alone, his credits included Chibiverse, Minions & Monsters, Forgotten Island, and Rick and Morty. He also appeared in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Chowder, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

The upcoming Simpsons episode features guest voices from Meg Ryan and James Austin Johnson. Ryan plays Sam, while Johnson voices Dr. De La Manana. The plot follows Moe as he enrolls in a sleep study that generates romantic comedy dreams, but the fantasy comes with a nightmarish price. The show recently gained attention for recasting the character Apu with Sunil Malhotra.

Malhotra shared a personal tribute on Instagram, including a photo of their first meeting at an animation panel in 2017. Malhotra wrote that Bauza messaged him Tuesday with congratulations on the Apu role. "He made me feel like a peer," Malhotra wrote. "The next picture is the last time I talked to Eric. He had just messaged me on Tuesday with the most beautiful congratulations on my new role."

Mazariegos added that Bauza signed the show's Wall-of-Fame during his visit. The producer said Bauza drew a detailed Bugs Bunny on the wall, revealing his background as an animator. "He was such a longtime fan of animation and kept saying that he felt like the luckiest guy in the world," Mazariegos said.