Sadly, while we want to remain as upbeat as possible as 2014 comes to a close, we have some news to report that will leave some heartbroken. According to various outlets, famed voice actress Christine Cavanaugh passed away on December 22nd at the all-too-young age of 51. At this time, the events surrounding the acclaimed performer’s passing remain unknown.

While you may not know her name, you most certainly know the actress’ work, having lent her distinctive voice to such famed characters as Chuckie Finster on Rugrats, Dexter on Dexter’s Laboratory, Gosalyn Mallard on Darkwing Duck (all of whom were redheads…interesting) and, of course, the one and only talking pig known as Babe from Babe. Needless to say, Cavanaugh had a storied career that shaped just about every ’90s-era childhood in one capacity or another.

In addition to her voice career, Cavanaugh also saw success in the live action realm with appearances on series including ER, The X-Files, Salute Your Shorts, Cheers, Wings, Everybody Loves Raymond and an appearance in the feature film Jerry Maguire.

Cavanaugh abruptly retired from acting altogether in 2001 and had been off the radar ever since. Though no specific reason was given for her exit from Hollywood, the actress cited wanting to move back to her native Utah and spend more time with her family. While she hadn’t continued voice acting, the legacy of all her amazing character work is still felt on each of those great shows, all of which continue to rerun on cable and elsewhere. We’re certainly sad to learn of this news. Ms. Cavanaugh’s will forever be etched onto the soundtrack of our youth.

[HT BBC News]