Earl Boen, most known to the videogame community as the voice ofMonkey Island’s LeChuck, has passed away at the age of 81. Boen had been part of theMonkey Islandseries since 1997 and up to 2010 where he once again voiced LeChuck inTales of Monkey Island.Boen also held voice roles in other games such asMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, where he played Sergei Gurlukovich, as well as various voice roles in theWorld of Warcraftseries,Psychonauts, Call of Duty, and more. However, those are not just Boen’s accolades, as he was an esteemed actor who played a multitude of roles. One of his most famous ones was a regular fixture in theTerminatorfilm series, as he played Dr. Peter Silberman.RELATED:Tales of Monkey Island Returns to Digital StorefrontsAccording to various news sources, Boen died in Hawaii on Jul 15, 2025, due to stage four lung cancer. He had been diagnosed in late 2022 according to his friends and family and had been in retirement. He had actually retired from on-screen roles in 2003 but had continued to voice various roles up to a certain point. He did not take part in the first three episodes ofTales of Monkey Island. However, he made his triumphant return during the fourth episode as the demon form of LeChuck—eventually staying for the fifth and final chapter.
His voice role in theMonkey Islandseries allowed him to serve as the main foil to series protagonist Guybrush Threepwood. He was not involved in the latest installment,Return to Monkey Island, but had given permission to recast the iconic character before it was released in September 2022.
This is sad news for fans not only of the series, but the wider video game and acting communities as well, as Boen had over 20 years of voice-acting experience as well as over 30 years in the industry overall. Gamers and fans all over will mourn this loss and will miss the brilliant voice that made theMonkey Islandseries such a fun romp.
AsMonkey Islandcontinues into thiscurrent generation of games, the iconic antagonist’s presence will remind players of the good old days when Earl Boen played the role. Meanwhile, fans who miss Boen’s voice will still be able to playThe Secret ofMonkey IslandandMonkey Island 2: LeChuck’sRevenge’s remakes on multiple platforms to honor his memory.
