Sep 1, 2008 11:09 pm US/Pacific
'King Of Voiceovers' Don LaFontaine Dies At 68
LOS ANGELES
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A night at the movies wouldn't sound the same without that trademark voice. The deep bass, the intense delivery -- it was the signature sound of Don LaFontaine, the "King of Voiceovers", who died at 68 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Monday. (File)
CBS
The "King of Voiceovers" died Monday in Los Angeles at age 68.
Don LaFontaine, whose voice was on nearly 5,000 movie trailers, died this afternoon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his agent, Vanessa Gilbert, told Entertainment Tonight.
He died of complications from a collapsed lung, ET reported, although the official cause of death was not immediately released.
In addition to being the omnipresent voice on movie trailers, he was also an announcer for Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, as well as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, UPN, TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network, according to ET.
His voice is believed to have been used in hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, Coke and other corporate sponsors, ET reported.
He was also the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards, and recently parodied himself in a Geico insurance commercial -- one of the few times he could be seen as well as heard.
Based on contracts signed, he may have been the single busiest actor in the history of SAG, according to ET.
LaFontaine is survived by his wife, singer/actress Nita Whitaker, and three children.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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