'Dragon Ball' narrator Brice Armstrong dies aged 84, fans pay tribute to anime voice actor
84-year-old voice actor Brice Armstrong, most famous as the narrator in the English version of the ‘Dragon Ball’ saga, passed away on January 10. The news of his passing was first reported on January 20 by ComicBook.com. The actor reportedly died of natural causes.
The Texan actor, who grew up in the city of Dallas, got his big breakthrough with the English versions of ‘Dragon Ball Z’ and ‘Dragon Ball’, anime adaptations of Akira Toriyama’s manga series.
In ‘Dragon Ball Z’, he voiced Captain Ginyu, and in the fourth ‘Dragon Ball movie’, he returned as the narrator, before playing Lord Slug in ‘Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug’. Outside of the ‘Dragon Ball’ saga, Armstrong has also worked in the ‘Lupin III’ franchise as Douglas, ‘Baki the Grappler’, ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’, ‘Fruits Basket’, and ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’.
According to IMDb, Armstrong retired from voice acting for reasons unknown in 2009.
As per ComicBook.com, there is presently no word on memorial services for the actor. On Facebook, the Mary Collins Agency, a leading talent agency in the Southwest that represented Armstrong, shared a note in his memory. “In the anime and game community, Brice is perhaps best known as the narrator for the original ‘Dragon Ball’ series, characters Captain Ginyu and Lord Slug in ‘Dragonball Z’, as well as providing voices on ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’, ‘Lupin III’, ‘Case Closed’ and many other titles.”
Christopher Sabat, a voice actor who worked with and directed Armstrong on several occasions, wrote, “Brice was the kindest, funniest person I’ve ever known. He was always humble, never in a bad mood–not the attitude you’d expect from such an industry legend.”
Reportedly, ‘Star Wars’ actor James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, had once told Armstrong, “I wish I had your vocal control.”
Twitter user @KBABZonTV wrote, "Brice Armstrong has passed away age 84. He was the voice of Captain Ginyu, Lord Slug, and most impactful for me the narrator for the original Dragon Ball. His storybook voice really defined the mood of Funi's dub of that show for me."
Twitter user @The_Lee_Bean wrote, “Rest in Peace Brice Armstrong, you were a true legend of my childhood and will be missed! Sleep well Captain.”
Armstrong is survived by his six children and nine grandchildren. His wife Marianna preceded him in death in 2008.