To this day, the Jimmy Neutron franchise arguably remains one of the most beloved properties ever produced by Nickelodeon, and it still holds up. Along with fun characters and exciting stories, it also included a talented cast of voice actors to lend their vocals to the boy genius and those in his orbit. One such star was Jeff Garcia, who voiced one of Jimmy’s best friends, Sheen Estevez. Sadly, Garcia just passed away at the age of 50 and, in the aftermath, Jimmy voice actress Debi Derryberry paid tribute to her former co-star.
News of Garcia’s passing broke on Wednesday, December 10 following reports that the actor and comedian had been hospitalized due to medical complications. Since then, fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to the man who voiced one of Jimmy Neutron’s quirkiest characters. Derryberry joined in the chorus of remembrances by sharing a message to Instagram. In it, she sentimentally memorialized Garcia, who she also revealed she saw not too long ago:
I’m devastated to find out that my dear friend Jeff Garcia, who also played Sheen on Jimmy Neutron, has passed away. We were all together just a few months ago at a convention. He was always the funniest man in the room. We’re gonna miss you, Sheen.
That post also included a photo of both Debi Derryberry and Jeff Garcia alongside fellow co-star Rob Paulsen (of Pinky and the Brain fame) who also voiced Jimmy and Sheen’s good buddy, Carl Wheezer. Check out the sweet post – which Paulsen also shared on his Instagram story – down below:
According to TMZ, Garcia died due to a collapsed lung and was pronounced dead on Wednesday morning after being taken off life support at Southern California Hospital on Tuesday night. The news outlet reports that prior to this, Garcia experienced a brain aneurysm in the spring, at which point he fell and hit his head and suffered multiple strokes over just the last few weeks. In November, Garcia was also hospitalized with pneumonia and, as of late, he’d canceled shows as a result of his health issues.
Born in Irvine, California in 1975, Jeff Garcia entered the stand-up comedy space in the early ‘90s and, by 1995, he was performing at The Laugh Factory. Despite landing live-action roles in TV shows like Dangerous Minds and Mr. Box Office, Garcia arguably became best known for his voiceover work in shows and movies like Barnyard, both Happy Feet movies and the Rio films.
Garcia’s biggest role, however, is arguably still that of hyperactive 11-year-old Sheen Estevez, a role he first played in the early Neutron shorts before voicing the character in the 2001 movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. That role would carry over into the spinoff TV series, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius (which is streamable with a Paramount+ subscription and still considered one of the best Nicktoons of the 2000s. After the show ended in 2006, Garcia reprised Sheen in a short-lived spinoff, Planet Sheen.
As someone who grew up loving the Jimmy Neutron franchise, this news hits hard. I’d argue that no one could’ve voiced the Ultra Lord-loving Sheen like Garcia. While it’s tragic that the comedian and actor is no longer with us, it’s sweet that his co-stars marked his passing and, hopefully, his credits, including his Nickelodeon work, won’t go unremembered.
We here at CinemaBlend extend our condolences to Jeff Garcia’s family and friends during this difficult time.
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