Nobuyo Oyama, who voiced the anime series Doraemon, has died at age 90.
Oyama had passed away on September 29, according to her agency Actors 7. The agency apologized for the delay in its statement.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the kindness you extended to the deceased during her lifetime,” the agency said.
Oyama was best known for providing the raspy voice behind voicing the eponymous character in Doraemon – a robotic earless cat – from 1979 through 2005. Based on a manga, the show was one of three Doraemon anime and became known as the “Oyama edition.” The franchise also spawned albums, video games, toys and more.
Before becoming the voice of Doraemon, Oyama worked on the kid’s puppet show, Boo Foo Woo. Over the course of her career, she voiced Monokuma, the villain from the video game Danganronpa, as well as characters in Hazedon, Norakuro, Hustle Punch and more.
Oyama’s agency said a private funeral was held for her relatives.
