{
  "id": 3832189,
  "title": "Peter Cullen, Who Voiced Optimus Prime in ‘Transformers,’ Dies at 85",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/peter-cullen-who-voiced-optimus-prime-in-transformers-dies-at-85",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-27T22:17:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NYT Arts",
    "slug": "nyt-arts",
    "url": "https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/arts/peter-cullen-dead.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Peter Cullen, a renowned voice actor, has died at the age of 85. According to his agent, Kevin Motley, Cullen passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by his family. The cause of his death has not been disclosed.\n\nCullen was best known for voicing Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise, a role he originated in the 1980s animated series and reprised in various productions, including the live-action film franchise starting in 2007. He also voiced Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, a character he developed a distinctively gloomy sound for, as well as other notable characters such as KARR in Knight Rider and the vocalisations of the title character in Predator.\n\nThroughout his career, Cullen amassed over 200 credits in television, films, video games, and theme park rides. His family has asked fans to honour his legacy by serving their communities with compassion, integrity, and loyalty, and to \"be strong enough to be gentle.\"",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IGN",
        "title": "Peter Cullen, Optimus Prime in Transformers, Dies at 85",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/peter-cullen-optimus-prime-in-transformers-dies-at-85",
        "published": "2026-08-27T15:01:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The A.V. Club",
        "title": "R.I.P. Peter Cullen, Transformers' Optimus Prime",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/r-i-p-peter-cullen-transformers-optimus-prime",
        "published": "2026-08-27T17:29:17.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}