Star Fox and Team Fortress 2 actor Rick May has passed away

The man who uttered the iconic phrase "do a barrel roll!" that cemented itself into the very core of gaming passes away at 79.

There are few video game actors who offer lines that cement themselves into the very core of the industry and beyond but one of these lines is surely Peppy Hare's "do a barrel roll!" from 1997's Star Fox 64. The man who uttered the words, Rick May, apart from having a long theatrical career, also portrayed the loveable rocket launching Soldier in Valve's Team Fortress 2.

Sadly, all must end, and in a recent statement on Rekindle School's (a program of which May was a teacher) website, it has been confirmed that May has passed away at 79 due to coronavirus, a virus he caught at a nursing home he was moved to after having a stroke in February of this year. May received care at a hospital but, unfortunately, passed away.

The statement made by Rekindle School ends with a touching note;

"Rick was a wonderful teacher whose classes and students meant the world to him. He'll be deeply missed".

Fellow actor Larry Albert also wrote a touching message to May and his family, which was then shared by Team Fortress 2's Sniper actor John Patrick Lowrie.