JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
His voice gave life to characters on screen, whether they were saving the planet...
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE POWERPUFF GIRLS")
UNIDENTIFIED VOICEOVER ARTIST: Under the constant threat of monster attacks and crime, there is a team that can save the world from evil. Meet the Powerpuff Girls.
CATHY CAVADINI AND EG DAILY AND TARA STRONG: (As the Powerpuff Girls) Yay.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
...Or in galaxies far, far away.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME, "STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED II")
TOM KANE: (As Yoda) Brought you here the galaxy has. Your path, clearly this is.
DETROW: A veteran voice actor, Tom Kane could alter his pitch and cadence to match the need for films, commercials and video games, even announcing the Academy Awards for several years.
SUMMERS: But perhaps it's his voice work in the "Star Wars" franchise that he's most known for, spanning animated TV series and movies. And then there was his work in multiple "Star Wars" video games. Kane's voice could capture the pace of an ageless master of the Force like Yoda, but also scale up for the bright, shiny robot companion C-3PO.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LEGO STAR WARS: THE PADAWAN MENACE")
ANTHONY DANIELS: (As C-3PO) You younglings wait out here while Artoo and I find a pilot to fly us out of here.
(SOUNDBITE OF R2-D2 BEEPING)
DETROW: The Kansas native died this week at age 64. The voiceover actor of four decades suffered a stroke in 2020, losing some of his ability to speak. But Kane eventually regained his voice and returned to the studio, adding to his more than 250 credits.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME, "LEGO STAR WARS: THE SKYWALKER SAGA")
KANE: (As Qui-Gon Jinn) Careful, Obi-Wan. It's only a rental. Don't worry. The Force will guide us.
SUMMERS: A father of nine children and a husband for more than 40 years, people who knew him say Kane wasn't acting in his role as a family man.
DETROW: With his voice etched in history through movies, TV and games that he loved performing in, his legacy continues on in the characters we love.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME, "STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED II")
KANE: (As Yoda) No. Only a watcher am I now.
(SOUNDBITE OF JOHN WILLIAMS AND THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S "STAR WARS (MAIN THEME)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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