His voice was known to millions, though his face remained mostly in the shadows. And that’s how he liked it — letting his characters speak for him.

Colleagues described him as vibrant, witty, and yet deeply humble. With a single word, he could make you laugh — or bring tears to your eyes with nothing but tone.

For over four decades, he worked alongside people who became family through shared stories and sounds. Their friendship spanned as long as the characters they helped bring to life. This week, one of them shared a final message — and fans around the world felt the heartbreak.

It was only then revealed that legendary French voice actor Éric Legrand has died at the age of 66. He was best known as the voice of Vegeta and Yamcha in Dragon Ball Z, and also starred as Coach Skip in Fantastic Mr. Fox.

His longtime friend and fellow voice actor Patrick Borg — the French voice of Goku — announced the passing in a moving Facebook post, sharing that Éric had been admitted to a palliative care unit on May 19, and sadly passed away soon after.

In his farewell, Borg wrote: “You were my Vegeta. My ‘Queen,’ as I teasingly called you. I won’t forget you. This hurts… it really hurts.”

Tributes from fans and fellow voice actors quickly poured in across social media. One fan wrote: “It’s not fair… I’m shocked by this loss. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.” Another added: “Every time I hear his voice in a scene, I’ll remember him. A true Saiyan, forever.”