Bill Cunningham, the original voice for Mattel Barbie’s Ken doll, has died at the age of 96. The star, who voiced Ken in the Barbie commercials and records in the 1960s, passed away on July 15 at his home in West Hollywood, California, it was revealed.
CESD Talent Agency, a commercial and voiceover talent agency he founded, released a statement that read: “Bill set the template for client and customer service, particularly in commercial, voice-over, and print.
“He was a warm, gregarious, classy man who made a positive impact on all those he represented and employed. It was our honor to know him and to learn from him.”
Bill was born on January 2, 1927, in San Francisco and fell in love with films at a young age before making his way to Hollywood. However, he was soon enlisted in the US Navy and served aboard the PGM11 minesweeper craft during World War II
The star was also a singer and toured with Fort Emory Drum and Bugle Corp, performing to people throughout the Pacific theater.
When the war ended, he continued pursuing his passions and got a job on NBC’s Voices of Walter Schumann and The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show.
He appeared on several movie soundtracks for Warner Bros, Fox, and Paramount before getting the job at Mattel Toys as Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, in commercials and soundtracks.
Bill sang on Barbie Sings (1961) with Charlotte Austin – who was Barbie. A year later, he released I’m Always Chasing Rainbows, an album financed by Fred Astaire.
In other news – KHLOE KARDASHIAN HOSTS BIRTHDAY FOR TRISTAN THOMPSON’S BROTHER
Khloe Kardashian hosted a slam dunk birthday party for her ex Tristan Thompson’s brother. The Kardashians star gave a glimpse into Amari Thompson’s celebration on her Instagram Stories on July 27, sharing a picture of large silver balloons that spelled out, “Happy Birthday Amari.”
In an Instagram carousel, Khloe shared a selfie of her with Amari, who wore a casual, off-white outfit for his 17th birthday festivities. The Good American founder also posted a larger family portrait featuring mom Kris Jenner; 5-year-old daughter True Thompson, who Khloe shares with Tristan; and 6-year-old niece Dream Kardashian, who her brother Rob Kardashian shares with Blac Chyna. Tristan, 32, wasn’t pictured. Read More
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