Eddie Carroll, the voice of Jiminy Cricket and the longest recurring character voice actor in the Disney stable of characters, passed away on Tuesday, April 6. Eddie was a long time friend to The Walt Disney Company and will be missed by all who knew and worked with him.
He started voicing the beloved cricket in 1973 after the original voice, Cliff Edwards, died two years earlier. Eddie has been carrying the legacy of Jiminy Cricket ever since. “He absolutely loved performing the voice,” says Rick Dempsey, senior vice president, Disney Character Voices.
“He was so into the character and truly took to heart what Jiminy was all about.”
Eddie’s Jiminy Cricket voice can be heard on projects such as the 1983 film Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Jiminy Cricket’s Christmas and as host of many of the Disney’s Sing-Along-Songs volumes. He has also voiced the character on episodes of Disney’s House of Mouse and in video games, such as the Kingdom Hearts series, as well as in multiple parades, ice shows and numerous consumer products. The night-time favorite SpectroMagic at the Magic Kingdom is also hosted by Jiminy Cricket and guests hear Eddie saying, “Welcome to the splendor, the spectacle, the sparkling sensation, where the comedy and thrill of Disney fantasies come to electric life… And now, the Magic Kingdom proudly presents, in a million points of musical light, the magic worlds of Disney…in SpectroMagic!”
Beyond his voice work for Disney, Eddie was considered one of the world’s best Jack Benny impersonators and toured a one man show, entitled, Jack Benny: Laughter in Bloom, to critical applause and laughter. He has also appeared on many TV programs and lent his voice to hundreds of TV and radio spots performing with such legends as Andy Griffith, Bob Hope, Milton Berle and Bing Crosby.
Eddie is survived by his wife, Carolyn, daughter Tina, and son Leland.