Obituary: Voice actor Chris Ayres has died at age 56

Veteran voice actor Chris Ayres, known for voicing Frieza in the various Dragon Ball anime series, has died at age 56.

The news comes from Ayres' partner Krystal LaPorte, who shared news of his passing on Twitter. LaPorte wrote that Ayres passed on October 18, surrounded by his family.  Describing him, she wrote that "so much of humanity's kindness, compassion, gentleness, bravery, generosity, and integrity were concentrated in one man."

Ayres did most of his voice acting work in the world of dubbed anime, but also had a few video credits that put him in touch with the world of game development. He continued voicing Frieza in games like Dragon Ball Legends and Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2, and voiced characters in Smite and The Gunstringer.

He also voiced the character Wagram in The Last Remnant.

Kotaku noted that Ayres also worked as a fight choreographer, stage actor, and scriptwriter. Ayres had been posting on social media about his medical struggles, and had raised funds to help pay for a double-lung transplant. 

LaPorte's request for friends and fans of Ayres was for them to "be more like Chris".

"If you learned anything from him, put it in this world," she wrote. "Please fill it with love and laughter, always."