Professional voice actor Aron Tager has tragically passed away at the age of 84.
The Brooklyn born, American entertainer was born June 15, 1934. He was arguably best known for his fantastic portrayal of Cranky Kong in Nintendo’s official Donkey Kong Country animated series, Tager had a very successful acting career throughout his life.
He starred in a wide range of children’s cartoons including Adventures of the Little Mermaid, Young Robin Hood, and Bakugan Battle Brawlers. Tager not only voice acted in western productions but also lent his voice to a wide range of English dubs for anime.
It wasn’t just voice acting that Tager was limited to either. He is a well-known face for fans of Canadian horror-fantasy Are You Afraid of the Dark? Here he played Dr. Vink, a mad scientist, and sorcerer. Horror fans were quick to pay tribute to his work as a Reddit post detailing his death is trending on the official r/Horror Reddit page.
Aron Tager also possessed impressive talent as an artist on top of his voice acting skills. His Wikipedia page refers to him winning the “Gold Key at the National Scholastic Art Competition in 1950,” “Norwich University Art Show for ‘Best Sculpture’ and ‘Most Popular Work in Show’,” and a Boston Festival of the Arts medal.
There’s no doubting he made the most of his 84-year-old life, positively impacting many a childhood with his iconic portrayal of Cranky Kong. He managed to capture just the right amount of grouchiness when playing the eldest of kongs.
His passing is a sad time for the one who many will agree gave the best portrayal of Cranky Kong we have seen to date. I personally think his performance ranks right up there with the equally well done Takashi Nagasako Cranky Kong from the relatively recent Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Thoughts are with Tager’s family as they fight to overcome these difficult times.