Francisco Reséndez, the Mexican actor whose voice turned Scooby-Doo into a household name for millions of Spanish-speaking kids across Latin America, has died at the age of 85.

News of his death began circulating Thursday after colleagues in the dubbing community confirmed he passed away earlier this week. No cause has been made public.

Reséndez was born July 10, 1941, and spent more than 65 years in the business. He worked as both an actor and a director, becoming one of those steady, reliable names that fans rarely know but instantly recognize once they hear the voice. For many people who grew up in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina or elsewhere in the region during the 1980s, Scooby-Doo simply sounded like him.

He took over the role in several of the classic Hanna-Barbera series from that decade, including episodes of El show de Scooby-Doo and El show de Scooby-Doo y Scrappy-Doo. He also voiced the big, clumsy Great Dane in the popular direct-to-video movies of the late ’80s: Scooby-Doo y los hermanos Boo (1987), Scooby-Doo y la escuela de fantasmas (1988) and Scooby-Doo y la carrera de los monstruos (1989).

That warm, slightly goofy delivery-equal parts cowardly and lovable stuck with a generation. When kids heard “¡Scooby-Dooby-Doo!” in Spanish, it was often Reséndez’s version they were hearing.

Beyond the Mystery Machine

His work went far beyond the Mystery Machine. In later years he brought his voice to anime, playing Dot Pixis in Attack on Titan and Makarov Dreyar in Fairy Tail. He also handled a range of smaller roles over the decades, including characters in Halcones Galácticos. But the Scooby-Doo years remain what most people mention first when his name comes up.

Reséndez was just as influential behind the microphone. He directed the Latin American Spanish dub of the first eight seasons of Los Simpson, helping shape how Homer, Bart and the rest of Springfield sounded for Spanish-speaking audiences at a time when the show was exploding in popularity.

He spent years at major studios, including Audiomaster 3000 and later Central Entertainment, guiding other actors and keeping productions on track.

Colleagues described him as a professional who stayed active well into his later years. In an industry that can be invisible to the public, people like Reséndez quietly build the soundtracks of childhoods.

Generations of Latin American viewers absorbed his performances without ever seeing his face. That is the strange, lasting power of good voice work: the character feels real, and the person who made it happen stays mostly in the background.

The news of his death prompted an immediate wave of tributes from fans and fellow dubbing artists on social media. Many shared clips of Scooby-Doo scenes or simply posted old photos of Reséndez himself, an older man with white hair, glasses and a calm expression.

Others noted the string of recent losses in entertainment and wondered aloud why so many familiar voices seem to be leaving at once.

Details about funeral arrangements or official statements from family have not yet been released. In the meantime, the simplest way many people are marking the moment is by putting on an old Scooby-Doo episode and listening again. For a lot of viewers, that voice is still the one that belongs to the character.

Reséndez leaves behind a body of work that stretches across cartoons, anime and classic television. He never became a household name the way some on-camera actors do, but his contribution was specific and lasting.

When Spanish-speaking kids of a certain age think of Scooby-Doo, they are thinking of the sound Francisco Reséndez gave him. That kind of connection does not fade easily.

His career covered more than six decades of changing technology and tastes in animation and television. From the analog days of traditional dubbing to later digital productions, he kept working. The fact that he was still remembered so fondly by both professionals and ordinary fans says something about the quality of what he left behind.

As the tributes continue, the focus remains on the characters he helped bring to life and the quiet professionalism that defined his long run in the industry.

Francisco Reséndez may not have been a celebrity in the usual sense, but for millions of people he was the voice that made one of the most famous dogs in the world feel like an old friend. That is no small achievement.