BURBANK, Calif. — Bugs Bunny, the Oscar-winning screen legend who became the face of Looney Tunes and one of the most enduring stars in Hollywood history, has died. He was 86.
Warner Bros. confirmed Bunny's death Tuesday. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Bunny made his official screen debut in 1940's A Wild Hare, launching a career that would span more than eight decades. His quick wit, Brooklyn-inflected delivery and trademark “What's up, Doc?” made him a breakout star, and by the mid-1940s he had emerged as the defining face of Looney Tunes — a position he would hold for the rest of his life.
Over the course of his career, Bunny worked with generations of Hollywood stars, from Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Clark Gable in his early years to Michael Jordan, Brendan Fraser, Steve Martin and, most recently, Will Forte. His remarkable longevity kept him in the public eye long after the golden age of theatrical animation that first made him a star.
Among his many honors, Knighty Knight Bugs earned the Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 1959, while What's Opera, Doc? became the first animated short selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 1985, Bunny became only the second animated character to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Beyond his work on screen, Bunny supported the U.S. war-bond effort during World War II and became a familiar mascot to American servicemen. The U.S. Marine Corps later named him an honorary Marine master sergeant. In later years, he devoted much of his time to educating the next generation of Toon performers as the longtime principal of ACME Looniversity, where he taught generations of young Toons.
“Bugs Bunny was more than a star at Warner Bros. — he was part of the foundation on which this studio was built,” Warner Bros. executive Kate Houghton said in a statement. “For generations of artists, filmmakers and audiences around the world, there simply was no Warner Bros. without Bugs.”
Houghton added that Warner Bros.' plans for Looney Tunes will continue as the company moves through its current corporate transition, saying the studio remains “fully committed to the long-term value of its brands, franchises and creative partnerships.”
Bunny is survived by his longtime partner, Lola Bunny, and his nephew, Clyde Bunny.
Warner Bros. will hold a private memorial for Bunny on its Burbank studio lot. Details will be provided to family, friends and colleagues.
