Her voice brought one of the most iconic characters in animation to life every week in people's living rooms, forever cementing her place in TV history and making it all the more difficult to share the news that Heather North, the voice of Daphne in several Scooby-Doo TV series and movies, has passed away.
Numerous outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, have reported the news of North's passing at the age of 71. According to Jodie Mann, a close friend of the North family, Heather passed away on November 30th at her home in Studio City after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.
Heather North began her journey to voice acting immortality when she took the vocal reins of Daphne in the second season of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1970. A key member of the cartoon mystery-solving team (and their vocal Great Dane) created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Daphne would continue to be voiced by North in numerous Scooby-Doo series over the following decades, including The New Scooby-Doo Movies, The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, and The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo.
North's vocal talents brought Daphne to life in the 21st century as well, as she voiced the beloved cartoon character in three Scooby-Doo animated movies, with her final turn as Daphne coming in 2003's Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico.
In addition to voice acting, North also shared her acting talents in front of the camera with an impressive career of live-action roles on TV series such as Green Acres, The Monkees, Adam-12, and Days of our Lives (on which she met her late husband, H. Wesley Kenney). North held her own in feature films as well, starring opposite Kurt Russell in 1971's The Barefoot Executive.
Along with Casey Kasem, Frank Welker, Nicole Jaffe, Don Messick and so many others, North will live on as an integral member of the Scooby-Doo family. She brought humor and heart to an animated character who is still just as relevant and recognizable today as she was when she first graced the screen over 45 years ago.
There's something undeniably special about they Mystery Machine gang—a group that generations of viewers have grown up with as constant on-screen companions. North was a key part of that on-screen magic, and we'll be forever grateful for her contributions to a franchise that still resonates with viewers who have a hankering for Scooby Snacks. Our thoughts are with North's family and friends during this difficult time.
Heather North pictured with Kurt Russell and Raffles the chimpanzee in The Barefoot Executive:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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