Don Lafontaine

Anyone who's cracked a mic as a voiceover talent in our generation knows the name Don Lafontaine. Don was to voiceovers what Itzak Pearlman is to the violin. Trailers for over 5,000 movies; hundreds of thousands of commercials. Millions in net worth. He invented a whole new way of doing things.

Don Lafontaine died yesterday, Labor Day, of complications from pneumothorax. In a nutshell; he was admitted to Cedars-Sinai for shortness of breath. Turned out it was a collapsed lung. And, a blood clot. Word is the clot moved elsewhere after the lung was reinflated and that was pretty much that. Don Lafontaine was 68.

Very sad. On top of being the most-prolific and highest-paid voiceover talent in the Universe; Don Lafontaine was also one of the nicest guys in the business. As much money as Don Lafontaine made; he may have been equally responsible for mentoring others and launching their careers. He was a big ham; unafraid to parody himself or the business that made him so much money. The Geico TV spot with him is one example--but I think of others you can find on YouTube if you search with his name. The limo ride to the awards show (Five Guys In A Limo) is classic.

Once the funeral's done and the grieving subsides--one thing is certain: Life goes on. And in the 15-minutes-of-fame voiceover business--no doubt half the talent in L.A. will be on the phone with The Tisherman Agency or ICM this time next week. Don did so much work--it might take several people to take care of his schedule. My A-List guesses for his replacement:

--George DelHoyo

--Ben Patrick Johnson

--Andy Geller

--And, of course--Hal Douglas

--And here's a long shot: Comedian Pablo Francisco--who does an uncanny imitation of Don Lafontaine. Could he get into character for a couple million a year? I could...

God bless Don Lafontaine. He changed the industry and gave an entire generation of viewers and listeners a voice they'll always remember.