SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Thurl Ravenscroft, whose voice was known worldwide through his work in TV, movies and elsewhere, died Sunday from prostate cancer at age 91, reported The Orange County Register.
Ravenscroft was best known as the voice of Tony the Tiger, hirsute pitchanimal for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal in decades of TV commercials. He reportedly coined the now-legendary catchphrase They're Grrrrrrrreat.
"I'm the only man in the world that has made a career with one word: Grrrrreeeat!" Ravenscroft said in a 1996 interview. "[image-nocss] When Kellogg's brought up the idea of the tiger, they sent me a caricature of Tony to see if I could create something for them. After messing around for some time I came up with the 'Grrrrreeeat!' roar, and that's how it's been since then."
He also sang You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch in the Dr. Seuss/Chuck Jones/Boris Karloff TV special, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, voiced characters in several Disney films, including Cinderella, Dumbo and Lady & the Tramp, and in several Disneyland attractions, including Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and the Enchanted Tiki Room.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.