Earl Boen, most known to the videogame community as the voice of Monkey Island's LeChuck, has passed away at the age of 81. Boen had been part of the Monkey Island series since 1997 and up to 2010 where he once again voiced LeChuck in Tales of Monkey Island.Boen also held voice roles in other games such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, where he played Sergei Gurlukovich, as well as various voice roles in the World of Warcraft series, Psychonauts, Call of Duty, and more. However, those are not just Boen's accolades, as he was an esteemed actor who played a multitude of roles. One of his most famous ones was a regular fixture in the Terminator film series, as he played Dr. Peter Silberman.According to various news sources, Boen died in Hawaii on January 5, 2023, due to stage four lung cancer. He had been diagnosed in late 2022 according to his friends and family and had been in retirement. He had actually retired from on-screen roles in 2003 but had continued to voice various roles up to a certain point. He did not take part in the first three episodes of Tales of Monkey Island. However, he made his triumphant return during the fourth episode as the demon form of LeChuck—eventually staying for the fifth and final chapter.
His voice role in the Monkey Island series allowed him to serve as the main foil to series protagonist Guybrush Threepwood. He was not involved in the latest installment, Return to Monkey Island, but had given permission to recast the iconic character before it was released in September 2022.
This is sad news for fans not only of the series, but the wider video game and acting communities as well, as Boen had over 20 years of voice-acting experience as well as over 30 years in the industry overall. Gamers and fans all over will mourn this loss and will miss the brilliant voice that made the Monkey Island series such a fun romp.
As Monkey Island continues into this current generation of games, the iconic antagonist's presence will remind players of the good old days when Earl Boen played the role. Meanwhile, fans who miss Boen's voice will still be able to play The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge's remakes on multiple platforms to honor his memory.