May 13th, 2017 was a sad day for gamers.  Voice actor, John Cygan, passed away after a long battle with cancer.  In the gaming world, John voiced Solidus Snake in the legendary Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty in addition to dozens of other roles in video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings video game franchises. The Metal Gear Solid series has been a staple in modern gaming with a very extensive story spanning multiple games.  The loss of one of it’s best voice actors in one of the series’s most famous (or infamous depending on how you reacted to the game’s huge surprise) is definitely a blow to the gaming community.
One of John’s good friends, Michael Chiklis, shared a heartfelt message regarding his passing on Twitter:
— Michael Chiklis (@MichaelChiklis) May 14, 2017
John was also known for being a voice actor outside of the gaming industry.  Having voiced for many animated films such as Cars, Monsters University, and Toy Story 3, he led a good career lending his voice talents to multiple animated films.  He also performed in live action roles for shows such as Fraiser, NYPD Blue, and Judging Amy.  He is best known for his role as Lt. Paulie Pentangeli on the ABC series, The Commish, appearing in 35 episodes and even starred in the short-lived sitcom, Bob, on CBS alongside Bob Newhart.  Along, with the recent passing of Bill Paxton as well this year, it would seem that 2017 is going to be another year of painful losses in the entertainment industry.  Our hearts go out to the family and friends of John Cygan.  He gave his voice to many great works in the entertainment industry and will definitely be remembered as one of the greats.  John Cygan is survived by his wife, Cathy, and children, Annie and Jack.
Was Solidus Snake your favorite character from a video game? Did you have another role played by John Cygan that was better in your opinion? Let us know in the comments below!
