Not Grrrreat News: Lee Marshall Voice Of Tony The Tiger Died

It's not such Gr-r-reat news for Lee Marshall. His family has announced that Marshall, who provided the voice of the iconic Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger since 2005, died of esophageal cancer on April 26th at a Santa Monica Hospital. Marshall started filling in for Thurl Ravenscroft, the original voice of the beloved character, (also known as the deep booming voice from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) in 1999. He had taken over full-time in 2005.

"There's a lot of voice-over talent, but there's that certain timber that comes with the "They're GR-R-REAT" and that's hard to capture," John Sheehy, of Chicago's Leo Burnett ad agency, told CBS about looking for a replacement voice actor. "It's really looking for that tone of voice."

Lee Marshall may perhaps be just as well-known for his announcing in the ring as a professional wrestling announcer from the 1980s to the beginning of the millennium. He was also a notable radio announcer.

Celebrate the life of Tony the Tiger by pouring yourself a bowl of Frosted Flakes, or try out The Daily Meal's recipe for Tony the Tiger muffins made with Frosted Flakes and chocolate. 

Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi