Prolific voice actor Billy Kametz has passed away at the age of 35 years old. The cause of death was reported to be colon cancer. Through a varied career, Kametz was a favorite in the anime and video game scenes. Some of his most notable roles include Josuke Higashikata (Jojo's Bizzare Adventure), Naofumi Iwatani (The Rising of the Shield Hero), and Ferdinand von Aegir (Fire Emblem). His most recent roles included Jerrom Laesmi from Triangle Strategy and Ryo Shishido from The Prince of Tennis. According to his obituary, Kametz had wanted to become an actor at a young age.Kametz got started in the entertainment division for the Disney cruise line before he moved over to Disney's California Adventure. There he played the role of Aladdin in Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular as his first major starring role. He would move on from theme park entertainment and enter the world of voice acting, with his first major job providing the voice of multiple characters in Marvel Avenger Academy, a freemium game for Android and iOS (where he played the roles of Agent Coulson, Iron Lad, Collector, and Thor Noir).Shortly afterwards he entered the anime industry by appearing in Sword Gai and Fate/Extra, where he played Seiya IchijÅand and Hakuno Kishinami, respectively. From there he would eventually take on roles in popular anime like Hunter x Hunter, Demon Slayer, and Pokemon. Kametz announced on April 26 that he would be taking a hiatus from voice acting after being diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. At the time of his announcement, his family opened a GoFundMe page to help cover expenses that insurance would not like travel, medical bills, and everyday life necessities.Fans and co-workers were hoping he would ultimately make a full recovery, but that did not happen. Reactions to his death by fans and co-workers on social media were quick and sympathetic.
Kametz is survived by Nikki Kametz Lees, his brother-in-law Greg, his nephews, Cash and Jaxon of GA, Uncle, Peter Sartori, Uncle Tom Kametz, Aunt Barbara Trimble, and his girlfriend, Erica Lindbeck. A viewing will be held June 15, 2022, with a Mass to follow on June 18th, 2022. Fans who want to send flowers and well wishes can do so at Matinchek Funeral Home. It's always tough to hear that a favorite actor has passed. It's worse when the actor in question was young and had a life full of promise ahead of them.
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