News

Voice Actor James Carter Cathcart Retires from Pokémon Anime Due to Cancer

Cathcart voices several characters in the Pokémon anime such as Professor Oak, his grandson Gary, and Team Rocket's James and Meowth. Cathart has been involved in the Pokémon anime franchise since its first episode. He has also worked as a script adaptor for many TV series and films in the franchise.

The CaringBridge page for Cathcart was created on January 30, where his wife announced that he was diagnosed with an advanced cancer, which appeared to have started at the base of his tongue, then spread on both sides of his tongue. Some lymph glands were also found in Cathcart's neck. Cathcart's initial treatment was a six-week course of chemotherapy aimed at shrinking the tumor, enough for radiation therapy to be possible.

On the page's update on Monday, Jacobi reported that the tumors did not respond to the initial chemotherapy, and a more aggressive treatment is necessary. Cathcart will begin a "definitive treatment" on or about May 1, which will be a seven-week radiation therapy consisting of sessions five days per week with simultaneous chemotherapy in the first, fourth, and seventh week.

Aside from voicing characters in the Pokémon anime, Cathcart (who also goes by the names Jimmy Zoppi, Billy Beach, and Carter Cathcart) also voiced the character of Miki Kaoru in One Piece.

Thanks to jlaking for the news tip.

Source: James Carter Cathcart's CaringBridge page via Kotaku, GoNintendo