A Great Bass Voice is Silent

Thurl Ravenscroft, the voice of Tony the Tiger, the Pageant of the Masters, and numerous attractions at Disneyland, has died at the age of 91.

Ravenscroft may be best recognized for his signature roar, "They're grrrrreeeat!" for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, which he did for more than half a century. But Southern California art fans cherish his 20 years of thoughtful, nuanced narration for the summertime Pageant of the Masters. And those who frequent the Happiest Place on Earth can hear his animated tones in Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion.

"Disneyland wouldn't have been, and wouldn't be, the same without him," said former park President Jack Lindquist. "It's all part of the experience. You can't go home with a ride, but you can go home with a memory, and part of that is the audio - the sound part of it. His voice was one of the things that made it all come alive."

For years, Ravenscroft provided narration for Disneyland's steam-powered railroad that circles the park. Today, he can be seen and heard as one of the singing busts in the Haunted Mansion's graveyard scene. Those "yo-ho, yo-ho's" in Pirates of the Caribbean are his, too.

Ravenscroft's relationship with Disney extended into movies. He did voices for four decades, contributing to "Cinderella," "The Jungle Book," "Mary Poppins," "Alice in Wonderland," "Lady and the Tramp" and many others.

"To me, he was one of the true voices of Disney that were recognizably Disney, and there weren't many of them," said Kevin Rafferty, a senior show writer and director for Disney Imagineering. "He was a very gentle, gentle man, a wonderful guy, a pleasure to know, and a pleasure to work with."

Ravenscroft was also a dedicated Christian. I had a chance to meet the great bass back on New Year's Eve of 1986. The quartet I was in a the time performed at a fund-raising banquet that featured Thurl, as well as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. That was quite a night.

Of course Thurl gave his patented Tony the Tiger growl, but he also sang and talked about his career. Somewhere I have a picture with him...I'll have to dig that out.

His voice, and his gracious manner, will be missed.