The cause of death for Optimus Prime voice actor Peter Cullen has been revealed.
A death certificate was first obtained by TMZ and confirmed by People magazine.
The document said he died from respiratory arrest, with conditions contributing to his death including cerebellar metastasis, hypoxia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, People said. An underlying cause was malignant neoplasm of the lower lobe of the lungs, TMZ said.
His family had said that he “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family — and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide.”
Their statement continued: “His family asks that you honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity and loyalty and always remember ‘be strong enough to be gentle,’” People reported.
Cullen was the longtime voice of Optimus Prime in “Transformers” movies and cartoons. He also voiced Ironhide, Streetwise, Wingspan, Slugslinger and Nickstick in the series. On the opposite end of the voice-acting spectrum, he also voiced Eeyore in 1988’s “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” and several other movies and shows.
He will be buried at Forest Lawn next week, his family told TMZ.
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
