you've probably heard the news already.

peter cullen, the original VA of optimus prime has passed on at the actually incredible age of 85(or 86 depending on who you ask).

i just wanted to rant for a bit, and since i don't have many other outlets to do so, i'm coming here. this is also on saucepan if anyone wants to check it out

to start off, yes, i am a transformers fan. it was actually one of the first franchises i was introduced to as a kid. growing up on the original G1 cartoons and the movie, cullen was a big part of my childhood. side note but i strongly remember my dad would often try and find me figures of my then favorites like shockwave(my goat), and devestator(i just really liked the idea of combiners as a kid, especially with the '86 movie).

speaking of the movie, i actually believe prime's death in that movie was my first real experience with death as a concept, even if he did come back later on in G1.

i never got to see cullen personally, but not sure if y'all remember(or even know), but back in like 2019-21-ish, around the time of just before those really bad bushfires in australia, there was meant to be an expo run by someone i knew(in australia), and they actually managed to get cullen on the roster AND voice a little promotional thing for it which i actually have the audio file for. unfortunately the bushfires came and screwed everything over, so the event didn't go ahead sadly. a shame, but still.

anyways, on a different note, i think this is one of the few times i've been deeply affected by a celebrity's death. this man was THE optimus prime since 1984. this man was so many people's childhoods including my own.

honestly, i ran out of things to say here, but you get the point. i'm sad, everyone's sad(well not everyone), just a very big, very influential loss.

that's all i've got for you all today.