Pokemon Voice Actress Rachael Lillis Died

Rachael Lillis, the voice actress for Misty and Jessie in the original Pokemon English dub, died on August 10, 2024. She was 55 years old and died from breast cancer.

Eric Stuart, who’d voiced Brock and James in the English Pokemon dub, posted a message from Veronica Taylor (who played Ash) sharing the news. He also gave a tribute, calling her his partner in comedic crime and telling people to watch the original Pokemon dub to celebrate her life. Veronica’s message discussed Rachael’s work in life, as well as the support people showed her during her battle with cancer. Lillis’s sister created a GoFundMe campaign for her in May 2024.

The Pokemon Twitter account also posted a memorial message. The message stated that her talent and work on the animated series brought the characters to life, and that people will remember her for generations to come. It ends with thoughts and condolences for her friends and family.

Aside from her roles as Misty and Jessie, she’s voiced several species of Pokemon over the course of the anime and game series. She was Jigglypuff, Goldeen, Torchic, Beautifly, and Vulpix. Lillis was also Cocco in Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission, Princess Charlotte in Berserk, and Utena in Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie. As a note, Tomoko Kawakami, the Japanese voice actress for Utena, also died of cancer. She had ovarian cancer and died in 2011 at the age of 41.

A memorial for Rachael Lillis will take place some time in the future.