James Carter Cathcart, the voice of James, Meowth, Professor Oak, and Gary Oak, retires due to cancer

In a terrible blow for generations of Pokémon fans, the only voice actor English speakers have ever known as Professor Oak, James, and Meowth — as well as a plethora of other Pokémon — has announced his retirement. Normally, a man with 25-years tenure in one series would have a fond fan farewell, but James Carter Cathcart — also known as Jimmy Zoppi or simply Carter Cathcart — isn’t retiring to play with laughing grandchildren or indulge in fond pastimes, but instead to once again beat the beast that is cancer.

Back in 2018, the actor and musician was able to conquer breast cancer, and his family’s familiarity with the disease is obvious in the way they talk about his upcoming battles. This time, the cancer attacked the base of his tongue — his wife described the location as “the ‘waterfall,’ right where the tongue goes into the throat.” Before he was diagnosed, the advancing cancer had spread to the sides of his tongue, as well as lymph glands in his neck. While the cancer is inoperable due to location, the team assisting the family felt strongly that a six-week run of chemo would reduce the tumor enough that radiation therapy would be possible.

Cathcart has made Pokémon what it is for decades. The 69-year-old started work on the franchise in the late 1990s, first as a script adapter and then as the voices of Meowth, James, Gary Oak, and Professor Oak in the first season of the series and onwards. He’s been featured in 16 Pokémon movies, as well as doing voice work in other well-known titles like Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, One Piece, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl just to name a few. He’s also a talented singer/songwriter — he helped Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley compose the song “Remember Me” released on Frehley’s 1989 solo album, Trouble Walkin’.

Unfortunately, as of April 17, it seems the tumor is not responding to treatments, which means Cathcart and his team will have to switch tactics. According to their CaringBridge profile, the family is less optimistic now, with their options getting less favorable with the aggressive tumor. Beyond the complications of treating the disease, it sounds like Cathcart is struggling to keep fluid intake high enough with the location of the tumor, making eating and drinking difficult. Fans of the actor took to Reddit to share the news and the overwhelming consensus was, “F**k cancer,” and the desire for the actor to get the opportunity to finish out season 25 of the iconic show and leave the program on his terms.

Because of complications with the tumor, Cathcart is formally retiring from his role at the conclusion of season 25. His wife, Martha, is resigning from her illustrious position as Associate Dean for the Brainspotting Concentration in Behavioral Health so that she can care for her ailing husband. Martha is keeping up with fans via CaringBridge, though the couple is not asking for donations or help, they simply want to keep his friends, family, and loyal fans informed on his progress. If you would like to keep up with the incredibly talented Mr. Cathcart’s progress, you can find his profile here. This story is ongoing and will be updated.