Professor Oak’s voice actor is retiring due to throat cancer after 20 years

Legendary voice actor James Carter Cathcart has revealed he will be retiring due to throat cancer after 20 years.

Cathcart is the voice behind some of Pokémon's biggest characters, like Professor Oak, James from Team Rocket, Meowth and others.

He's been playing these characters ever since the TV show launched in 1998, according to Kotaku, and he's also leant his voice to other anime projects like Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Sonic X.

However, after more than two decades in the game, he's retiring due to a cancer diagnosis.

A blog post on CaringBridge revealed the tragic news.

Cathcart's wife Martha said: "We learned that Jimmy's tumors didn't respond to the induction chemotherapy as much as was anticipated, and that a more aggressive chemo approach was necessary."

The Pokémon Company

She added: "An additional challenge is the accumulating effect of how hard it is for Jimmy to consume enough liquid nutrition to stay healthy and hydrated.

"We are thus becoming a little too familiar with the 15th floor at MSK's Koch Center, where both chemo and hydration therapy (90-min IV fluid infusions) are given.

"Another hope and goal is for Jimmy to avoid needing a feeding tube at some point in the coming weeks."

Martha revealed James will take on 'definitive treatment' in May, which will see him undergo seven weeks of five days a week radiation therapy, with simultaneous chemotherapy in weeks one, four, and seven.

It's hoped this will target the cancer and get him on a better path.

It was revealed back in January that James had an advanced form of cancer that started in his tongue and later spread into his neck.

The Pokémon Company

Martha's note says James' retirement from Pokémon, which will come after season 25, was a tough one to make.

"He has been with the series since the first episode, so it is a timely decision as the series transitions to new characters and story lines," she said, referring to the series moving away from focusing on Ash and Pikachu.

James' wife said she will also resign from her position as Associate Dean for the Brainspotting Concentration in Behavioural Health at International University for Graduate Studies 'in order to be able to give better support to Jimmy through this season of life'.

She added that they really appreciate everyone's 'love, thoughts, comments, "hearts", prayers, and well-wishes'.

Here's hoping the next round of treatment helps James get back on his feet.

Topics: Film and TV, Pokemon

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie