Peter Renaday, U.S. voice actor, passed away at the age of 89. He was most remembered for his performance as Master Splinter in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
Townsend Coleman, who played Michelangelo in the programme and was his former castmate on the Ninja Turtles, confirmed the information. Coleman made the announcement on Tuesday through a post on the social media platform X.
Master Splinter was a wise and stern mutant rat who served as the turtles’ adoptive half-father and martial arts instructor. Renaday provided the voice for Master Splinter between the years 1987 and 1996.
The voice actor was discovered dead inside his home in Burbank, California, on Sunday, when the police conducted a welfare check. TMZ reports that the police discovered him inside the residence.
As a result of the recent heatwave that occurred in California, his niece Mindy Zachary said to the celebrity news website that his air conditioning had been malfunctioning and that his residence had been quite hot.
She also mentioned that the cause of his death has not been established, but the family believes that there is no need for any additional inquiry into the matter.
As a result of the passing of our “dear sensei,” which was a term that the Ninja Turtles would occasionally use to refer to Master Splinter, Coleman, who was 70 years old, expressed his “devastation” over the loss.
He went on to say, “Pete was one of the most genuine and earthy people I have ever known, and I will miss him very much with all my heart.” At the age of 89, he was just as endearingly goofy, intelligent, and talented as I’ve always known him to be. I had the honour of visiting with him a month ago, and he was just as vivacious as he had always been with me.
“Oh my goodness, this is so challenging… a Disney icon and our beloved Master Splinter; may you rest in peace, my dear friend.”
An additional role that Renaday played was that of Abraham Lincoln at The Hall of Presidents, which is a popular attraction at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Between the years 1995 and 1999, he also appeared in a few episodes of the animated series Batman and the Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, which went on to air in 1992.