R.I.P. John Erwin, voice of He-Man and Morris The Cat

John Erwin—the prolific voice actor behind He-Man, 9Lives "spokescat" Morris The Cat, and scores of other cartoon characters—died last month of natural causes at his home in Camarillo, California. His death was announced by his PR firm, Celebworx, via Deadline. Erwin was 88. 

While his PR company specified that he was a very private man, Erwin's voice gave life to a whole host of classic characters. He was in command as He-Man, the iconic Masters Of The Universe hero, in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, She-Ra: Princess of Power, and He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special. He also voiced He-Man's alter-ego Prince Adam, as well as several other characters like Beast Man, Webstor, and Ram Man for the franchise.

Before becoming He-Man, Erwin voiced Reggie Mantle on The Archie Show and numerous Archie spinoffs of the '60s and '70s. Those include The Archie Comedy Show, Archie’s Funhouse, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Archie’s Bang-Shang Lalapalooza Show, and more. He also had credits in various episodes of The Flintstones, Groovie Ghoulies, Rawhide, and Family Guy, and was cast as a newscaster in both Back To The Future II and Remember The Titans.

Erwin also made a name for himself in the advertising world as the voice of 9Lives "spokescat" Morris The Cat, a picky eater who made his preference for 9Lives cat food very apparent.

According to Celebworx, Erwin was survived by "his loving family of children and grandchildren."