Voice actress Rachael Lillis, known to millions as the English voice of Misty and Jessie in the Pokémon anime series, has died aged 55.
Lillis passed away on Saturday in Los Angeles, The New York Times reported, following a breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
Tributes have poured from fellow voice actors and fans alike, including from her fellow Pokémon co-stars Veronica Taylor, who voiced Ash, and Eric Stuart, who voiced Brock and James.
“I was lucky enough to know Rachael as a friend,” Taylor wrote on X. “She had unlimited kindness and compassion, even until the very end. She had a great sense of humor, was wonderful to be with, incredibly intelligent, and had such a memory. She worked hard and cared deeply.”
“If you met her, you’d not say this was so natural for her,” Stuart told The New York Times. “Rachael in real life was pretty low key, kind of quiet and sweet. The minute she stepped in that booth it was like this whole other energy came out.”
Lillis voiced Misty from the anime’s first episode in 1998 until 2006, when the series switched its voice cast after being localised directly by Pokémon USA. It was a role she also reprised in numerous Pokémon animated films, alongside providing the voices of various Pokémon species.
One of those species was singing puffball Jigglypuff, and in the world of video games it was a character Lillis could also be heard as through the Super Smash Bros. series.
Outside of Pokémon, Lillis was a prolific voice actor across dozens of other anime and animated series, including Genshikken, Hunter x Hunter, Winx Club and Chaotic, though it’s for her Pokémon roles she will likely be most remembered.
“We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rachael Lillis,” The Pokémon Company wrote in a statement posted to X. “Her performance in the Pokémon animated series will be cherished by the many fans who grew up with the characters she brought to life with her special talent.
“She will be remembered for generations to come, and we will always keep her close in our hearts. Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.”
