Beloved ‘Dragon Ball Z’ Narrator Jose Lavat Has Passed Away
Comic Book
By Megan Peters
05/15/2018
Today, the Dragon Ball fandom is coming together to mourn the loss of one of its own. According to reports, a beloved narrator from one of Dragon Ball Z’s most iconic dubs has passed away.
Not long ago, Toei Animation confirmed José Lavat’s passing with a touching tribute on social media. Over on Twitter, the company honored the vetted actor by thanking him for the work he did on making Dragon Ball Z the global phenomenon it has become.
“Rest in peace José Lavat, an amazing dubbing actor who lended his voice talent to many famous characters for Hispanic audiences including the narrator in Dragon Ball Z. Thank you #PepeLavat for everything,” the message reads.
Lavat’s death is a difficult one for fans to process, and audiences who grew up with Dragon Ball Z’s Latin America Spanish dub will remember the actor fondly. Ever since the anime was brought abroad, Latin America has welcomed Son Goku warmly, and Dragon Ball Z developed a massive following in countries such as Mexico. It was Lavat who helped bring that show to life for Spanish-speaking audiences, and fans are paying tribute to the actor on social media to share their thanks.
While Lavat may be best known by anime fans for his work on Dragon Ball Z, the actor did voice work on plenty of other titles. Not only did Lavat do the Spanish dub of Soichiro Yagami in Death Note, but he also did dubs for Tarzan, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and Street Fighter.
What is your favorite narration from Lavat in Dragon Ball Z? Let me know in the comments or find me on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime.
LAVAT, José (José Francisco Lavat Pacheco)
Born: 9/28/1948, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico
Died: 5/15/2018, Mexico
José Lavat’s Westerns – voice actor:
Rio Grande – 1950 [Mexican voice of Ben Johnson]
Bend of the River – 1952 [Mexican voice of James Stewart]
Shane – 1953 [Mexican voice of Alan Ladd]
Bonanza (TV) – 1959-1972 [Mexican voice of Lorne Greene]
Hombre – 1967 [Mexican voice of Paul Newman]
High Chaparral (TV) 1967-1971 [Mexican voice of Myron Healey, Jonathan Goldsmith, Wes Bishop, Monte Markham, Pat Renella, Richard Gates]
Hang En’ High – 1968 [Mexican voice of Clint Eastwood]
Silverado – 1968 [Mexican voice of Kevin Costner]
The Wild Bunch – 1969 [Mexican voice of William Holden]
Wyatt Earp – 1994 [Mexican voice of Kevin Costner]