Voice of Tony the Tiger dies

The voice of Tony the Tiger has been stilled.

Thurl Ravenscroft, whose "They're Grrrrrreat!" roar sold Kellogg's Frosted Flakes for more than 50 years, died Sunday of prostate cancer in suburban Los Angeles. He was 91.

"I'm happy to be Tony," Ravenscroft said in a 1998 interview with the Enquirer. "I love to keep doing the voice and I'll do it as long as I'm able and as long as Tony sells cereal."

"He's such a wonderful character and I've done him so long," Ravenscroft said. "I've done lots of other characters, but they haven't lasted. Tony's an institution now."

"Thurl was the voice, heart and soul of Kellogg's for 52 years," said Celeste Clark, the company's spokeswoman, also expressing her sympathy for Ravenscroft's family and friends on Kellogg Co.'s behalf. "He helped to transform Tony from a lovable and friendly spokescharacter to an advertising and marketing icon.

"No one can think of Kellogg's without thinking of Tony the Tiger and no one can think of Tony without thinking of Thurl."

Kellogg had identified Ravenscroft's successor before his death, Clark said. Anticipating his retirement, company officials hoped that selecting the new voice of Tony would give Ravenscroft a chance to coach and mentor his understudy, she said.

Although the 52-year voiceover veteran no longer will be heard on television, his contribution to Kellogg history remains. His signature line can be heard at Kellogg's Cereal City USA, a museum and tourist attraction in downtown Battle Creek.

Allison Tribul, Cereal City USA's marketing manager, said visitors to the museum will still hear Ravenscroft's classic sound byte at several attractions throughout the museum.

"Thurl's voice is used in both of the facility's theaters and when visitors step on the manhole covers located on the second floor," Tribul said. "We feel very fortunate that he has left us with this and that we have him at this facility. It's hard to think of Tony ever having someone else's voice."

Clark said Kellogg officials recently had the opportunity to honor Ravenscroft at a luncheon in his home state of California.

"We presented him with a golden statue of Tony and told him he was great," she said. "It was a very touching and moving event for us and for his family and friends."

Ravenscroft also narrated the summertime Pageant of the Masters at Laguna Beach, Calif., for 20 years and lent his voice to characters on thrill rides at Disneyland and Disney World, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion.

"Disneyland wouldn't have been, and wouldn't be, the same without him," former Disneyland president Jack Lindquist said. "His voice was one of the things that made it all come alive."

Ravenscroft also did voices for the animated films, including "Cinderella," "The Jungle Book," "Mary Poppins," "Alice in Wonderland," "Lady and the Tramp" and many others.

Born in Norfolk, Neb., Ravenscroft moved to California in 1933 to study art.

By the mid-1930s he was appearing regularly on radio, and by the late-1930s he was singing backup for Bing Crosby. After military service during World War II, he returned to Hollywood, where he sang with the Mellomen, a group that performed with Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Elvis Presley.

Ravenscroft is survived by two children and four grandchildren. June, his wife of 53 years, died in 1999 at age 80.

Posted by Ron at May 27, 2005 02:34 PM