Optimus Prime and Eeyore voice actor Peter Cullen dies

Actor Peter Cullen, who voiced popular characters including Optimus Prime in Transformers and Eeyore in Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise, has died at the age of 85.

The Canadian actor began his most famous role - as the heroic deep-voiced Optimus Prime - for the Transformers TV series in 1984, then returned for seven Hollywood films from 2007 to 2023 and other spin-offs.

He voiced depressive donkey Eeyore in TV animation The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh from the late 1980s as well as numerous related shows, films and games.

His other memorable voice parts included KARR, the evil counterpart to KITT in TV show Knight Rider; the clicking vocalisations of The Predator in Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1987 film; and the roars of King Kong in 1976.

He died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, a statement said.

"Peter Cullen passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family - and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide.

"His family asks that you honour his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty and always remember 'be strong enough to be gentle'."

Cullen started his career on Canadian TV and radio and was then a regular on programmes like The Sonny & Cher Show before deciding to concentrate on voice acting.