Legendary Pokémon voice actor Carter Cathcart passes away at 71

The Pokémon fandom has been mourning the loss of a highly beloved voice actor. James Carter Cathcart, also known as Jimmy Zoppi, died at the age of 71 on July 8, 2025. Best known for his voice roles in the Pokémon franchise as James of Team Rocket, Meowth, Gary Oak, and Professor Oak.

For many fans around the world, who grew up with Cathcart’s voice acting hundreds of times in episodes and various films. His wife, Martha Jacobi, announced his passing in a Facebook post.

“Thanks to all of Jimmy’s fans over the years!” she wrote. “Giving you joy was why he worked so hard on his craft. Please know how much he appreciated you!”

According to Deadline, James Carter Cathcart died due to an advanced throat cancer at Calvary Hospital in New York.

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Legendary career spanning over two decades in the Pokémon franchise

James Carter Cathcart, the former voice actor for Team Rocket's James and Meowth, has passed away byu/drawricks inpokemon

Cathcart first entered the franchise with the release of Pokémon: The First Movie in 1998. The first of a 25-year engagement with the franchise, Cathcart’s last recorded performance was in Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle in 2020.

Throughout his career with the franchise, Cathcart voiced James, Meowth, and many other characters in more than 700 episodes of the Pokémon anime series and on more than 15 Pokémon films.

Cathcart was born on March 8, 1954, in New Jersey. He got into entertainment at a young age, playing with bands during high school, including The Laughing Dogs, who released two albums on Columbia Records in 1979-80. His role as Cap'n O. G. Readmore on the ABC Weekend Special anthology series in the 1980s was his first step toward voice acting and a springboard for his later success in animation.

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A diverse voice acting portfolio beyond Pokémon

Although Cathcart came to be associated with Pokémon, his skills were not limited to the game. He voiced various well-known anime programs such as Sonic X, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, One Piece, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Mission Odyssey. He had also shown his range as a video game voice actor for many characters, including Shadow the Hedgehog.

Cathcart has held various positions in the industry, including voice director, script adapter, and voice actor. Cathcart's thorough understanding of the process allowed him to provide very competent translations, which were Westernized in a manner that was very appealing to Western audiences, and which influenced many English versions of anime programming.

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Health challenges force retirement from beloved craft

Cathcart was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer and was therefore forced into early retirement from voice acting in 2023. Then, two years later, the illness claimed Cathcart's life. Fans will remember him for many years to come.

Many have been posting tributes on social media, remembering their favorite scenes featuring Cathcart's characters, and, notably for Team Rocket's James and Meowth, in their endearing awkwardness.

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