‘Animaniacs’ and ‘Pokemon’ Actress Dead at 59: RIP to Fatima Saad

Syrian voice actress Fatima Saad, who provided the voice for cartoon characters from beloved shows including Animaniacs, Pokémon, and more, has died.

Saad passed away Saturday evening at the age of 59, the Syrian Artists Syndicate announced in a social media tribute. Her cause of death was not disclosed.

“The Damascus Branch mourns the death of our fellow artist Fatima Saad. She died last night and was buried this morning,” the organization shared with its followers in a translated Facebook post.

Considered to be one of the first Syrians to get into the voice acting business, Saad was the voice behind iconic characters for generations of children, having provided the Arabic voice dub in approximately 100 dubbed works throughout a career that spanned nearly four decades, according to reports. She began her voice acting career in 1978 working on drama series dubbing before she transitioned into animation work in the ‘80s, her first work in the genre providing the voice Blink in Blue Blink.

Saad is perhaps best remembered for voicing Dot Warner, the sister of Yakko and Wakko, in the Arabic dub of Animaniacs, the Tom Ruegger-created and Warner Bros. Television Animation-produced variety show that featured a large cast of characters in mini-episodes. She is also well-remembered as the voice behind Jesse and Melanie in the Arabic dub of Pokémon. Her other Arabic dubbing voice credits include Launch in Dragon Ball, several characters in the Digimon franchise, and Numbuh 2 in Codename: Kids Next Door, as well as credits in One Piece, Ben 10, Super Yo-Yo, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Tom Sawyer, among numerous others.

Saad, who completed two courses in radio directing at the Radio Training Center of the Arab States Broadcasting Corporation, also became a prominent figure on the radio, contributing to popular drama programs broadcast on Syrian radio like The Rule of Justice and Amazing Phenomena. She also dubbed films and television dramas.

News of her passing sparked an outpouring of tributes, with one person remembering her as “the most beautiful human being, the most compassionate and elegant artist.” Another person wrote, “May her soul rest in peace. A great loss for all. Patience and solace to her family.” Replying to a video of Saad’s voice acting in Animaniacs, somebody else wrote on X, “Love seeing dot belting it in other languages.”