James Carter Cathcart dead: Pokemon and Sonic actor dies after cancer battle

James Carter Cathcart, who voiced characters in both Pokemon and Sonic, has died at the age of 71. Also know as Jimmy Zoppi, James died in Forest Hills, New York two years after being diagnosed with throat cancer.

James provided the voice for a number of Pokémon characters, including Team Rocket’s James, Meowth, Professor Oak, and Gary Oak. He also voiced Vector the Crocodile in Sonic X as well as in the Shadow the Hedgehog video game.

His last voice actor work was doing the English version of Pokémon: Ultimate Journeys, which happened in 2023. He was then forced to retire due to his ill health. Sadly, despite having aggressive chemotherapy, his condition worsened.

READ MORE: M62 delays LIVE: Traffic backs up for miles as motorists hit with hour-long delays

READ MORE: Brooklyn Beckham severs ties with brothers Cruz and Romeo in brutal move

James' wife announced the sad news in a Facebook group where she confirmed they were asking for charity donations instead of gifts or flowers to mark James' sad passing.

"For those of you who don’t know me, I am James Carter Cathcart’s wife. JCC died, peacefully, very early in the morning, on Tuesday 7/8/25, at Calvary Hospital, in the Bronx," she wrote, "Memorial designations are still in process, pending conversations with one of the charities that was close to Jimmy’s heart. I will post those here when they are in place."

Tributes have flooded in from the community he worked alongside, including Sonic star Erica Schroeder, who wrote: "Rest in peace dear sweet man. I will miss you. The community will miss you. The world will miss you. One of the most joyful, exuberant, kind-hearted and talented souls no longer walks with us.

"James Carter Cathcart you were one of a kind, a gentle, beautiful, playful genius and I was happy to call you my friend. Master of the pen, piano and microphone. Friend to many. Loving father and husband. Thank you for your gifts."

Former Led Zeppelin drummer Leesa Harrington-Squyres added: "He put up a fierce battle with that horrible C word. What an AMAZING musician and voice actor… the voice of Meoweth and Jake on Pokemon (also wrote the scripts!). He was one of the first people I got to know when moving up here. My heart goes out to his children and his friends. He will be missed."

James also provided the voice for characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters as well as Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. He also was a musician and released music under the names The Laughing Dogs and the Carter Cathcart Band.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads.