Sad news for animation fans. Joe Alaskey, the modern voice for Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, has passed away at the age of 63. His family confirmed the news earlier this week. The actor and voiceover artist succumbed to cancer.

Joe Alaskey was a successor to iconic Looney Tunes voice artist Mel Blanc, who passed away in 1989. Alaskey inherited the roles of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and countless other Warner Bros. animated characters, going to work to recreate their personalities starting in the 2000s. His most notable turn as these iconic and beloved characters came in the 2003 movie Looney Tunes: Back In Action.

Over the past few years, Joe Alaskey also gave new voice to such beloved icons of animation as Sylvester and Tweety. He served as the primary voice of Plucky Duck on Tiny Toon Adventures. In 1988, he voiced the role of Yosemite Sam in the blockbuster hit film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.

Joe Alaskey would go onto win a Daytime Emmy for his voice work on Duck Dodgers, where he played the main character. He didn't solely work for Warner Bros. animation, though. He also inherited the role of Lou Pickles on Nickelodeon's hit animated series Rugrats. He took on the role after voice originator David Doyle passed away in 1997.

On the live action side of things, Joe Alaskey provided the voice of Richard Nixon in Forrest Gump. He would go onto play Stinkie the ghost in the live-action/CGI family film Casper. He also narrated the Investigation Discovery Network series Murder Comes to Town. Joe Alaskey's family has asked for privacy in this time of mourning. They are directing fans to the Joe Alaskey Fans Facebook page for further updates.