Gloria Rocha, one of Latin America’s most beloved and talented voice actors, passed away on Jan. 14 — the same day as her birthday. Rocha died at the age of 94.
Fellow voice actor Eduardo Garza announced the news in a TikTok video, expressing the admiration that the entire voice acting community felt for her as a mentor.
Rocha began her voice acting in the late ‘50s, Fandom reported. Some of her earliest roles include Miss Piggy from “The Muppet Show,” Velma Dinkley from “Scooby-Doo,” Olive Oyl from “Popeye” and Tweety from “Looney Tunes.”
Rocha’s legacy as a voice actor primarily focused on her skills as a voice dubber, meaning she used her Spanish-speaking skills to voiceover the original audio of animated characters in some of the most popular shows to date.
Gloria Rocha Was Known as ‘The Godmother’ of Voice Dubbing
From early on in her career, she garnered millions of fans as a Latin American superstar. Some of her Mexican animated features include “Los Tres Reyes Magos” and “Katy the Caterpillar.”
In the world of voice acting, Rocha was known as “La Madrina,” a.k.a. “The Godmother” — a strong nod to just how well respected she was in the industry among colleagues and fans.
When her death was announced, fans poured their hearts into social media comments, sharing in the remembrance of the famed dubber.
“As someone who grew up watching all of Classic Scooby Doo this is truly sad. God Bless her soul as she Voiced a character from a show that was my childhood that meant A LOT to me,” said one.
“if being all over the place was a person. rip 🙏🏽,” wrote another.
Many fans found solace in knowing she passed away the same day she was born, with some expressing thanks for how her life came full circle.
Gloria Rocha’s ‘Dragon Ball’ Legacy
While many fans knew her for her roles in classic cartoons, Rocha’s groundbreaking work with the anime series “Dragon Ball” is what kept her legend alive while she was still earthside.
Rocha took on directional duties for “Dragon Ball,” “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT,” where she found and mentored the iconic voice dubbers for Goku and Vegeta, as reported by PRIMETIMER. She also worked on other notable anime series for the Latin American culture, including “Sailor Moon,” “Slam Dunk” and “Cardcaptor Sakura.”
Fans of hers thanked her in an X post from Cartoon Base, detailing how deeply she influenced their childhood.
“You guys don’t understand, she is the reason why Dragon Ball has such a god tier cast and dub,” a fan wrote.
“Rest in peace, Gloria. Thanks for introducing me to Dragon Ball during my childhood,” said another.
Rocha’s final dubbing direction was in the 2012 film “The Iron Lady.” She retired soon after, leaving behind shoes that most, if any, will be unable to fill.
