Jim Ward, the voice of Ratchet & Clank's Captain Qwark, has died aged 66.

The news was revealed by his former co-host at The Stephanie Miller Show, who wrote on X/Twitter: "One of the saddest messages I have ever received from the amazing Mrs Jim Ward: Our wonderful 'voice deity' as Steph anointed Jim Ward, passed away today at 10:45am."

Ward co-hosted the show with Miller for 13 years until his departure in 2017. In 2021, it was revealed he had contracted a "severe case" of COVID-19 after being hospitalized for a mild cognitive memory issue, which "completely paralyzed" him for four months. He later developed Alzheimer's disease. It's for this reason that Ward did not feature in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

Ward was better known to gamers for lending his voice to a plethora of games from his debut in 1993's Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin. He not only starred in the Ratchet & Clank series, but also gave his voice to Krauser in the original Resident Evil 4 and Doktor in Metal Gear Rising Revengeance. Other video game credits include roles in Guild Wars 2, Diablo 3, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, EverQuest 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Call of Duty, and Dragon Age. His final game credit is 2022's Quake Champions.

However, he also starred in numerous shows, including The Fairly OddParents and Ben 10, and has won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.

"I'm so sorry for your loss... Mr. Ward was an important part of my childhood as the voice of Captain Qwark. I wish the family the very best," commented one fan. Another simply wrote, "The world has lost a great talent and a wonderful human being!"

Photo by FilmMagic/FilmMagic.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.