James McCaffrey, the longtime voice actor who has introduced quite a few key characters in Remedy Leisure’s video games to life, has handed away on the age of 65.
The information was first reported by TMZ, saying a rep confirmed that he died on Sunday surrounded by family and friends after a battle with a number of myeloma. Actor Kevin Dillon had earlier posted a message on Instagram indicating that McCaffrey had died.
Remedy addressed his passing in a put up on X/Twitter, saying, “We’re deeply saddened to listen to concerning the passing of our beloved pal and collaborator James McCaffrey, the long-lasting voice of Max Payne and Alex Casey. His exceptional expertise not solely gave life to our characters but additionally left a permanent influence on our group. Our hearts exit to his household on this time of loss.”
Rockstar, the writer of the Max Payne video games, additionally launched a statement, saying, “Relaxation in Peace James McCaffrey, the inimitable and commanding presence who introduced Max Payne to life.”
We’re deeply saddened to listen to concerning the passing of our beloved pal and collaborator James McCaffrey, the long-lasting voice of Max Payne and Alex Casey. His exceptional expertise not solely gave life to our characters but additionally left a permanent influence on our group. Our hearts exit… pic.twitter.com/RDs5m6FhzD
— Alan Wake 2 (@alanwake) December 18, 2023
Remedy artistic director Sam Lake added, “I am heartbroken to listen to the unhappy information of James McCaffrey’s passing. We labored collectively for greater than 25 years. He was a stunning man and a pricey pal. He was a key a part of the Remedy household. He was an excellent actor. Nobody might do what he did higher than him. James was Max Payne, Thomas Zane, Zachariah Trench and eventually Alex Casey. I had the honour of sharing Max Payne’s function and Casey’s function with him. He was a pleasure to work with. I’ll cherish his reminiscence and I miss him. My deepest condolences to his household. Relaxation in peace, Jim.”
Amongst many different issues, McCaffrey was recognized for his appearing work in reveals like Rescue Me, the place he had a recurring function as Jimmy Keefe.
However within the gaming world, he was closely related to Remedy, with which he labored for greater than twenty years. He voiced the titular character within the studio’s early breakout hits, the Max Payne collection, earlier than additionally voicing key roles in its subsequent video games, together with Alan Wake (Thomas Zane), Management (Director Trench), and Alan Wake 2 (Alex Casey).
His gruff, matter-of-fact supply made him excellent for the noir tone of Max Payne and a fan-favorite–save for Lake, there’s maybe nobody whose identify is extra intently related to Remedy than McCaffrey. He usually voiced characters whose likeness was primarily based on Lake, tying the 2 collectively intently because the launch of the primary Max Payne. Even when his characters weren’t immediately encountered in a game–as was the case with Trench in Management–he remained a standout, as I can attest as somebody who re-listens to Trench’s Hotline calls on a weekly foundation.
It is unclear how his loss of life will influence future Remedy tasks McCaffrey little question would have been part of, together with the upcoming Alan Wake 2 DLC and Max Payne remakes.