Peter Cullen, who voiced Eeyore and Optimus Prime, dies aged 85

Peter Cullen, who voiced characters in Winnie the Pooh and Transformers, has died aged 85, his agent and family have confirmed.

Cullen, who gave voice to Eeyore and Optimus Prime in numerous TV shows and films, died surrounded by his family.

The Canadian actor also voiced the titular character in the 1987 Predator movie.

A family statement issued by his agent read: "Peter Cullen passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family - and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide.

"His family asks that you honour his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty and always remember, be strong enough to be gentle."

Cullen first voiced Optimus Prime in the 1980s TV show The Transformers and its spin-off film The Transformers: The Movie (1986).

He reprised the role in 2007 in the first live action film of the series directed by Michael Bay.

He went on to appear as the shapeshifting truck robot in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Bumblebee (2018), and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023), as well as numerous other TV projects.

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The actor also voiced Eeyore in series including the cartoon The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which ran from 1988 to 1991, The Book of Pooh and My Friends Tigger and Pooh, as well as films such as The Tigger Movie (2000), Piglet's Big Movie (2003) and Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005).

Alongside his more famous roles, the actor provided the voice of the title role in King Kong (1976) and King Kong Lives (1986), as well as voicing Grundle and Ahgg in My Little Pony: The Movie (1986).

In 2023, he won the lifetime achievement award at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards.

(c) Sky News 2026: Peter Cullen, who voiced Eeyore and Optimus Prime, dies aged 85