RIP Rachael Lillis (1969-2024)

[pacman000]

Apparently the former Pokémon VA has breast cancer.

 

[Peter Paltridge]

And she apparently has it pretty bad, currently needing care at a rest home.

It makes me mad. Lillis hasn't really been given any gigs in anything since Pokemon, and it wasn't from lack of trying. A tweet from her a few years ago where she was basically begging for work went viral; it was sad. Were I in charge of the industry, I would have hired her for a lot of things. Her talent has been completely wasted and ignored, and now this might really be the end of it.

 

[pacman000]

I always assumed she did more work for 4Kids, but even then, that was nearly 20 years ago.

 

[Light Lucario]

And she apparently has it pretty bad, currently needing care at a rest home.

It makes me mad. Lillis hasn't really been given any gigs in anything since Pokemon, and it wasn't from lack of trying. A tweet from her a few years ago where she was basically begging for work went viral; it was sad. Were I in charge of the industry, I would have hired her for a lot of things. Her talent has been completely wasted and ignored, and now this might really be the end of it.

That's incredibly sad. I thought that she had just retired from voice acting before hearing about this since I think that the last role I heard her in was in Hunter x Hunter. It's extremely heartbreaking that she was practically begging for work. You'd think that being part of such iconic series like Pokemon and Revolutionary Girl Utena would have given her more of an edge in the voice acting industry. I'm sure that it's still tough. I'm not sure if Veronica Taylor has gotten much work after Dragon Ball Super myself, but that's just an extra sad layer to this already tragic story.

I heard about this about a week ago and it is still sad. Apparently, the cancer has already spread to her spine, which is why she has been at a nursing home. She seems incredibly young to have already have cancer, let alone having it already spread. While her gofundme campaign has already reached its goal, I'll still leave a link to the article here: GoFundMe Campaign Launched for Pokémon Voice Actress Rachael Lillis

Hopefully, she'll be able to get the treatment and care she needs and be able to get good at home care. I truly hope that she'll be able to make a full and safe recovery.

 

[Shiloh Otter]

^ oh yeah, she is still pretty young, she's only 45 right now. she was voicing Misty and Jessie before she was even 20, which is nuts.

she deserves so much better than what's happened to her.

 

[Light Lucario]

^ oh yeah, she is still pretty young, she's only 45 right now. she was voicing Misty and Jessie before she was even 20, which is nuts.

she deserves so much better than what's happened to her.

Being able to pull off both Jessie's deep voice and Misty's higher pitched voice when she was still a teenager is really impressive. I didn't realize that she was that young when 4Kids started to dub Pokemon back in the day.

 

[Classic Speedy]

On the bright side, the GoFundMe for her VERY unfortunate situation has more than surpassed the target goal, which was heartwarming to see.

 

[Frontier]

This is utterly heartbreaking. One of the most memorable voices of my childhood and far too young to have to go through something like this.

I'm glad people chipped in above and beyond the target goal.

 

[Vuxovich]

^ oh yeah, she is still pretty young, she's only 45 right now. she was voicing Misty and Jessie before she was even 20, which is nuts.

she deserves so much better than what's happened to her.

If I can recall correctly, she was actually born in 1969. Which means that she is currently either 54 or 55 years old.

P. S. Also, she is a native of Dallas, TX, not Niagara Falls, NY (as other bad reliable sources say).

 

[Classic Speedy]

Good news: Rachel was able to move to a better place due to the GoFundMe donations:

New update, June 10th: We have good news! My sister and I were able to move Rachael into a better place! She’ll get medical attention, care, and will be able to rest in a private room, where she can convalesce and regain strength!
Because of you, your well wishes, and your wonderful generosity, Rachael is in a healthier, lovely place.
We all thank you for your continuing support, kind comments and emails- all helping to raise Rachael’s spirits!
With gratitude, God Bless! -Laurie

 

[Eldorado]

Good news: Rachel was able to move to a better place due to the GoFundMe donations:

I just hope she can still beat this.

 

[Shiloh Otter]

If I can recall correctly, she was actually born in 1969. Which means that she is currently either 54 or 55 years old.

P. S. Also, she is a native of Dallas, TX, not Niagara Falls, NY (as other bad reliable sources say).

I know she's from Dallas. The year of birth is interesting though, because multiple sites say she's 45, including Anime News Network and Behind the Voice Actors, and they tend to get their info correct.

 

[Stumpos]

Bad news.
View attachment 309819

 

[Frontier]

RIP Rachel Lillis. Thank you for all the wonderful characters you portrayed and brought to live and for always bringing so much heart and love into your roles. You will be missed.

 

[SweetShop209]

Bad news.
View attachment 309819

Thank you for all you've done Rachael. You will be missed.

 

[Light Lucario]

This is such tragic news. Rachael was so young and clearly a talented voice actress. She had great chemistry with the other 4Kids voice actors and she did a great job as Misty and Jessie. I hope that she knew how beloved she was among fans. The donations and the amount of support she got when they revealed her cancer hopefully gave her some much needed joy in her heart. I hope that Rachael is at peace and her family and friends will be okay.

 

[Santana434]

Awww man, this is such a disappointing news. Another VA was lost, kinda reminds me of the similar fate with Shannon Dorothy(she passed not too long ago) but cancer really does suck ladies and gentlemen. But anyways, R.I.P. Rachel Lillis thank you for making our Saturday mornings our childhood.

 

[Vuxovich]

So long, Rachael!

 

[Classic Speedy]

Ugh. Not the news I wanted to hear. Taken at way too young an age. Eff cancer.

Also tweaked the thread title to reflect the sad news.

EDIT: From the Gofundme page:

Hello everyone,
With a heavy heart, I regret to say that Rachael has passed away. She passed peacefully Saturday night, without pain, and for that we are grateful.
She is with God, the angels, and family that has passed before her, surrounded by infinite Love.

Unfortunately, regrettably, I was not with her, it was just this past week that she was starting to decline. This was unexpected and we are completely grief-stricken.

We ask for peace, for now, as her family grieves this loss.

Rachael (“Rae” as we called her) was a beautiful, smart, talented person with a kind heart who was so moved by all of you! (I would forward emails and comments to her, just in case she missed any!)
She likened the response to this fund to the movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life”, when George is surprised to learn just how much he is loved by his friends, and how much they Do care!
She was moved to tears when seeing the GFM page with your comments & kind thoughts.

She remembered many of you that she happily met at conventions, for instance, and related stories to us about the experience and all the people she appreciated meeting!

All of us have been so moved by the responses from all of You!

Funds donated for Rachael will go to any medical bills remaining, a memorial service for her, and causes in her name-specifically toward efforts to combat cancer.

My heart breaks losing my dear little sister, though I am comforted knowing she is free.

God Bless you All- with Love, Health, and Peace, Laurie

 

[ShadowBeast]

RIP.
She will always be the best voice for Jessie. She should've stayed voicing Jessie.
It is a huge shame to lose such a great voice actress.