Rachael Lillis, the original English voice actor for several beloved Pokémon characters, has passed away at the age of 46 following a battle with breast cancer. The news was shared by Veronica Taylor, who voiced Ash Ketchum in the Pokémon anime and worked closely with Lillis during the early seasons of the show. This loss is deeply felt by fans of the series who grew up listening to Lillis bring characters like Misty and Jigglypuff to life.

Misty Pokémon voice actor Rachael Lillis died






She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024


Rachael Lillis' sister, Laurie Orr, shared on GoFundMe on May 13, 2024, that Rachael had been diagnosed with breast cancer which later spread to her spine. As of late January of the same year, Rachael was residing in a nursing home facility in Los Angeles.

As the news of Rachael Lillis' passing circulated on the internet, many Pokémon fans and fellow voice actors shared their heartfelt tributes in honor of her. They fondly remembered how her voice acting in the early seasons of the anime played a significant role in shaping their childhood memories.

Lillis studied acting in Boston and New York City. She has been involved in a wide range of projects including theater productions, animated series, independent films, video games, and audio books. She is known for her voice work on popular shows such as Pokémon, Cubix, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Revolutionary Girl Utena. In her work on the audio book Diary of a Fairy Godmother, she showcased her talent by voicing around 25 characters.

She has also lent her talents to various other roles such as Jelanda in Valkyrie Profile and Natalie in Ape Escape 2. She has also voiced characters in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Lego Jurassic World, and most recently, Detective Pikachu as Jigglypuff through an archive recording.