The English-language voice actress behind the beloved characters Misty and Jessie in Pokémon has died, Rachael Lillis was 46 years old. Lillis passed away on August 10, 2024 following a short and fierce battle with breast cancer. She was diagnosed with the disease only in May earlier this year.
Her sister Veronica Taylor, who also follows the former Ash Ketchum actor with some big interaction on Twitter added her voice to a tweet announcing Lillis’s death. Taylor said in a heartfelt eulogy Thursday that Lillis was an “extraordinary talent whose voice brought happiness to countless fans for decades. Lillis gained acclaim for her role on Pokémon, voicing prominent characters in the show introduced from 1997 to when she still did occasional returns up until 2015.
The impact of Rachael Lillis on the world of anime and voice acting is something that will be celebrated for years to come, she stood tall among her fellow performers as one of the best.
Lillis provided the main voices for several Pokémon in the Japanese animated series, including Misty and Jessie.
Veronica Taylor, who co-stars as Pokémon lead character Ash Ketchum Tweeted the news of her death.
“Rachael Lillis has of course been in a bunch of other terrific roles that we all know her from,” Ms Taylor posted on social media Monday.
She brightened our Saturday mornings and before/after school times with her lovely singing voice, amazing comic timing, fantastic acting talents.
During her battle with cancer, she said Lillis appreciated the help from loved ones.
Ms Taylor said, “That really did help.
Lillis’s death was yet again confirmed — this time by her sister, on a crowdfunding site where she had been raising money for cancer treatment.
Laurie Orr wrote the news came as a shock and said her sister had gone “downhill” this past week.
“I am absolutely heartbroken losing my lovely little sister but within minutes of our last goodbye (here in Florida) someone said ‘shed her earth suit’, I pretty much knew that’s what she had done,”
Lillis’s sister, Laurie Orr said Lillis’ condition had begun worsen only about a week before her death, leaving family members shocked and saddened by the loss. A service for Lillis will be planned at a later date.
