Jeff Garcia, the voice actor best known for playing Sheen in the “Jimmy Neutron” franchise, died Wednesday, Variety has confirmed. He was 50.
Garcia was taken off life support on Tuesday at a hospital in Southern California, where he was surrounded by family and friends. According to TMZ, Garcia suffered from a brain aneurysm earlier this year and had a stroke several weeks ago. He was hospitalized in late November with pneumonia, but after he was discharged he continued to have health problems. Per the publication, Garcia’s lung collapsed on Tuesday.
Garcia’s Hollywood career took off with the 2001 film (and accompanying video game) “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,” in which he voiced the obsessive and hyperactive sidekick Sheen Estevez. He went on to voice the role in 59 episodes of Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” and a handful of TV movie spinoffs.
Following the success of “Jimmy Neutron,” Garcia led a Sheen-centered spinoff, “Planet Sheen,” an animated sci-fi comedy that ran for 26 episodes spanning 2010 to 2013.
Garcia’s recognizable voice can also be heard out of the mouth of Pip the Mouse in the “Barnyard” series, which included a movie, video game and TV series that ran from 2007 to 2011. He also played the penguin Rinaldo in the “Happy Feet” movies and had voice roles in 2010’s “Marmaduke” and “Rio” and its sequel.
He was also a stand-up comedian who regularly performed at the Laugh Factory, and he acted in live-action projects such as the TV series “Mr. Box Office” and the film “Holy Cash.” Garcia also appeared at animated conventions, where he interacted with fans who grew up on “Jimmy Neutron” and his other work.
