American voice actress and scriptwriter Rachael Lillis died on the evening of Saturday, August 10, 2024, in Los Angeles. She was famous for her role as Misty and Jessie in the Pokémon series. Veronica Taylor, who plays Ash in the series, revealed the tragic news through her X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, August 12, 2024. Inevitably, the news surprised the internet, resulting in various fans and fellow artists taking to X to express their condolences for the talented voice actress.
How did Rachael Lillis die?
Rachael Lillis had been battling breast cancer and was 46 at the time of her death. Taylor reminisced on Lillis’ “beautiful voice, her terrific comic timing, and her remarkable acting skills” in her X post. Moreover, she shared that Lillis’ family wished to grieve privately while a memorial is being planned for later.
Lillis’ sister, Laurie Orr, launched a GoFundMe campaign, through which she announced that Lillis had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The cancer had spread to her spine, leading to her immobility. Consequently, multiple actors participated in the movement by sharing the campaign to raise money for Lillis’ treatment.
Rachael Lillis was active from 1997 to 2019 as a dubbing actress. She voiced multiple characters in the Pokémon anime series, including various Pokémons like Vulpix, Venonat, Goldeen, and Jigglypuff. However, she was famous for her roles as Misty and Jessie.
Lillis’ versatility as a voice actress is evident in playing rival characters in the same series. In addition to Pokémon, Rachael Lillis is famous for her roles in Berserk as Princess Charlotte, Hunter x Hunter as Cocco and Mito Freecss, Your Lie in April as Ryoko Miyazono, and Revolutionary Girl Utena as Utena Tenjō.
In 22 years of working as an artist, she also worked as a scriptwriter and translator. She worked on the script adaptations of Apocalypse Zero, Gokudo, Boogiepop Phantom, and K.O. Beast from 2001 to 2003 and translated Cleopatra DC in 2002.
