On July 8, James Carter Cathcart, the English voice actor for the popular Pokémon character James from Team Rocket, passed away. He died from throat cancer in a hospital in the Bronx, as his wife, Martha Jacobi, shared.
Carthcart’s voice acting career began when he played the character, Cap’n O.G. Readmore on the ABC Weekend Special anthology series.
Cathcart was known for voicing a number of characters in the Pokémon universe, including James from Team Rocket, Professor Oak, Gary Oak, and Meowth. He began voicing the characters in 1997, when the Pokémon TV series premiered, and voiced a variety of characters within the series for over 700 episodes and 15 films. In addition to his voice acting work, he was also the sole writer for the English dub’s scripts for 17 years, according to Variety.
Beyond Pokémon, he also voiced characters in Sonic the Hedgehog, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and One Piece. Cathcart was also a dedicated musician, most known as a band member of The Laughing Dogs, where he played guitar, keyboard, and was a vocalist.
He continued to voice characters until 2023 when he was first diagnosed with throat cancer. That same year, he retired from voice acting.
Many of his coworkers released memorial statements following the announcement of his death, including Erica Schroeder, who voices Nurse Joy in Pokémon.
“James Carter Cathcart you were one of a kind, a gentle, beautiful, playful genius and I was happy to call you my friend,” wrote Schroeder in an Instagram post. “Thank you for your many gifts.”
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Fans responded to posts announcing the news, sending their condolences to the family and friends of Cathcart and expressing their sadness at his passing.
Among queer Pokémon fans, Cathcart is remembered for offering his voice to one of the most queer-coded characters in the show, James of Team Rocket. The purple-haired man is known for his flamboyant attitude, penchant for dressing up often in women’s clothes, and for his dedication to stealing Pikachu for his boss.
James has long been thought of as a queer icon in the Pokémon fandom despite his sexuality never being explicitly stated. Many of the writers have also alluded to the possibility that James is gay through their covert statements in the show.
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