“Doug Dimmadome, owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome!” is one of James Kevin Ward’s memorable catchphrases in cartoon history. In recent years, the voiceover legend battled against Alzheimer’s, which forced him into retirement. On Dec. 10, his wife, Janice Ryan Ward, announced the 66-year-old star died at a memory care facility in Los Angeles.
The Talented Universal Tour Guide
Since 1980, James Kevin Ward had sought to be an entertainer. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and began at Universal Studios. He provided various voice impressions and performed two-man comedy acts during his tour guide days.
Due to Ward’s talents, Universal Studios offered him his first voice role for the Knight Riders attraction. KITT, the series’ AI supercar, was voiced by William Daniels. Park operators wanted Ward to imitate his voice for the simulation ride. He amused visitors on their journey through the car of the future, becoming the catalyst for his voice acting career.
Jim Ward: The Voice Deity
James Kevin Ward was often described as a behemoth throughout the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. His iconic voice was heard in almost every sector of the entertainment industry. And for every role, he was credited under his nickname, Jim Ward. Not to be confused with the 1870s MLB athlete.
According to IMDb, the voice deity tackled over 320 roles, including additional voices. Ward’s most popular voices include:
- Doug Dimmadome: Fairly Odd Parents’ richest entrepreneur in Dimmsdale. His episodes are themed after money-making schemes. He wears a comically tall ten-gallon hat and loves to boast that he owns the Dimmsdale Dimmadome. Doug’s long-lost son, Dale, would soon take after him in Fairly Odd Parents: A New Wish.
- Captain Qwark: Ratchet & Clank’s intergalactic egotistic superhero. He was formerly an antagonist who conspired with Chairman Drek and attempted to orchestrate the Protopet Crisis in Going Commando. He later became an ally for the remainder of the franchise. Like Ward, Qwark studied in theater workshops for 8 years.
- Diamonhead: Ben 10’s crystalline combatant. Throughout the series, his Petrosapien DNA offered Ben a protective diamond shell and crystallokinesis. Ward gives him a gruff voice while mimicking the hero’s attitude.
- Belial: One of the better-known villain voices Ward portrayed. While he voiced the Lord of Lies in Diablo 3, his co-star Sofia Pirri voiced his host, Emperor Hakan II.
His performances gave him enough recognition to be nominated for 10 entertainment awards. In 2009, Biker Mice from Mars earned Ward a Daytime Emmy for “Outstanding Performance in an Animated Program.” He played the Freedom Fighter Stoker in the 2006 revival.
When Did James Kevin Ward’s Alzheimer’s Set In?
According to Janice, James Kevin Ward suffered from Alzheimer’s for about 8 years. This matches the time her husband left The Stephanie Miller Show. He co-hosted with Miller and entertained listeners with his vocal impressions through their Thursday talks since 2004. Ward later left the radio podcast on good terms in 2017.
His Alzheimer’s symptoms worsened when he caught COVID-19 in 2021. It forced the beloved voice actor to retire for good. Ratchet & Clank fans heard him as Captain Qwark for the last time in the animated short, Life of Pie. It advertised the next adventure, Rift Apart, featuring the Lombax and robot traveling through interdimensional portals.
He Crosses the Afterlife with Jeffrey Garcia
James Kevin Ward left Janice to deliver the message about his death to Miller. His co-host informed the public on X (then Twitter), “One of the saddest messages I have ever received from the amazing Mrs. Jim Ward: Our wonderful voice deity passed away (on Dec. 10) at 10:45 AM. Can you let Steph know? Thanks, Janice.” Then on Instagram, Miller added, “He was beyond brilliance.”
Miraculously, Ward did not pass into the afterlife alone. Latin American comedian and voice actor, Jeffrey Anthony “Jeff” Garcia, fell victim to a collapsed lung on Dec. 9. The doctors kept him on life support until the next afternoon. His death was announced to the media at 2:00 pm on Wednesday.
It’s beautiful to know that two Nickelodeon stars died on the same day, yet sad that both suffered from declining health conditions. They worked together in Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 3: The Jerkinators. Ward voiced Dimmsdale anchorman Chet Ubetcha and Doug Dimmadome, while Garcia voiced the Ultralord fanboy.
