Voiceover King LaFontaine Dies 2 September 2008 9:04 AM, PDT
Voiceover legend Don LaFontaine has died after suffering from a collapsed lung.
The dramatic star, known as the King of Voiceovers, passed away at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday, aged 68.
Lafontaine's agent, Vanessa Gilbert, tells ETonline.com that he died following complications from pneumothorax - when air or gas gets into the pleural cavity - after his lung collapsed.
However, the official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
During his lengthy career, LaFontaine lent his booming vocal chords to more than 5,000 movie trailers and 300,000 radio and TV commercials, including advertisements for corporate giants such as McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Budweiser. His signature introductory phrase began with the words, "In a world where..."
He also served as the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Academy Awards.
LaFontaine, who had been receiving treatment for the health issue for the last few months, is survived by his singer/actress wife Nita Whitaker and their three children, Christine, Skye and Elyse.
Ditto...There are some great voices out there, James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman and the voice of the NFL & the Phillies (can't remember his name), but there will never be another voice like his.
Last edited by Slimdog; 09/02/0803:21 PM.
"Awww Nawww Big Slimdog!!!" -Eminem, "B**** Please Pt. II"
wow, movie previews will never be the same..truly a legend...lol i sometimes use vocal effects when DJing to make myself sound like him.. the guy was awesome..he could make you want to go watch paint dry
Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. -John Wayne
I remember him from the Geico commercial. His passing brings to memory one of my favorite characters, Ghoulardi - recalling how Ernie Anderson made it on the coast with his voiceovers.
That would be my other voiceover hero, John Facenda. (btw- he never said, "The frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.")
Man... about 10 years ago, I was invited to do an on-stage narration with my orchestra. The piece was Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." Before I went to my first rehearsal, I found some tapes of Don at the local library.
Now look- NOONE had the same depth, texture and resonance that he did, but I knew I could learn from his style, pacing and delivery.
The concert was a success... and since then, I've done at least 30 narrations with Da Band. I even got a new clause written into my contract to account for the narrating jobs that come up in a season. I've also been working with a local studio to compile some of my narrations and local radio spots into a demo disc, which I hope to get to rep agencies this fall.
Never could have done it without studying this guy years ago.
It was always a goal of mine to meet Don LaFontaine. Looks like I ran out of time. Bummer too... because all I wanted to do was tell him how much he helped me without even knowing it.
"In a world where voices carry weight, demand attention, and becon the public to want more... ...a titan has been silenced."
