Joe Alaskey

On February 4th, 2016, I saw the news posted on Tom Ruegger’s Facebook page. The news was that Joe Alaskey, who worked so memorably with Mr. Ruegger and crew on Tiny Toon Adventures, had died at the age of 63. I told my brother, who also liked Tiny Toon Adventures, about his passing, and my brother wondered if it was cancer that claimed him. I said I hope not, but I was to be distressed when I read that, indeed, it was cancer that claimed Alaskey’s life. I was angered, and I was saddened, and I’ll explain why in this memorial piece. I first came to know of Mr. Alaskey’s voice-work in 1988 when I saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Classic voice-over talents like Mel Blanc and Mae Questel were involved in the movie, but in the case of Mr. Blanc, he was growing older and dealing with health issues, and it was difficult for him to voice some of his characters. In the case of Yosemite Sam, Mr. Alaskey