George Lowe, the distinctive voice of Space Ghost on 11 seasons of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, has died. Lowe was only 67 years old.
Lowe performed a number of vocal roles in his career, but Space Ghost was far and away his most famous. Space Ghost Coast to Coast was an eclectic and inventive revival of a mostly-forgotten Hanna-Barbera outer space superhero (created by cartoonist Alex Toth and originally voiced by Gary Owens). Space Ghost Coast to Coast reimagined the character as a dim-witted talk-show host in a genial and surreal spoof of late-night television.
In addition to being hilariously funny, the show was one of the first original series on Cartoon Network. Coast to Coast’s cult success helped transform the channel from a station that syndicated old cartoons to one that produced cartoons of its own. The show’s oddball sense of humor and cult fandom also helped to launch and define the network’s late-night programming block, Adult Swim, which continues to this day. Lowe’s hilarious performance as Space Ghost is a big part of that larger story.
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Born in 1957, Lowe was a voiceover performer when he was chosen to replace Owens as the voice of Space Ghost on Coast to Coast. All told, Lowe played Space Ghost on 109 episodes of the show, and reprised the character on various other TV projects through the years. He also provided voices to animated series like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, Robot Chicken, and American Dad!
Lowe’s longtime Coast to Coast co-star Andy Merrill, who voiced Brak and Lokar on Space Ghost Coast to Coast, posted a tribute to the actor in Bluesky, writing “RIP, George. I know this was a dvd extra, but it’s a fitting tribute,” with the following video.
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