Say it ain’t so.
Jack Riley, the beloved voice-over artist who is perhaps best known for his role as Stu Pickles in Rugrats, has passed away at the age of 80. It has been reported that the actor died due to complications from pneumonia and infection in Los Angeles on Friday.
Although the name might sound unfamiliar to some, Jack Riley had a voice that permeated through the sitting rooms of millions of ordinary people.
He started his career on The Bob Newhart Show, a beloved American sitcom and went on to appear on popular family shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, One Day At A Time, Diff’rent Strokes and even Seinfeld.
To us though, he will always just be Stu Pickles, loving father of Tommy and Dill from the Nickelodeon animated cartoon Rugrats.
The Rugrats was huge in the ’90s, someone would say it was on the same level as The Simpsons or even Pokemon. It stayed on the air from 1991-2005, in addition to three Rugrats movies and then the less popular All Grown Up franchise.
Throughout all these different incarnations, Stu was the personification of the disenfranchised, overworked and jaded parent, with a distinct aura of apathy surrounding him.
Riley is survived by his wife Ginger Lawrence and their two children. Plus he’ll live in the hearts and minds of all the fans of the show who will never forget his often timed hilarious antics.
Rest In Peace, Stu.
