Peter Cullen sadly passed away at the age of 85 on August 26 in his Los Angeles home.
The actor was most known for voicing the characters of Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise, as well as Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise.
The entertainer also had four children with his private wife Brandi Cullen including Clay Cullen, Angus Cullen, Claire Cullen and Pilar E. Cullen, as well as three grandchildren.
His son Clay is a Hollywood stuntman and has appeared in Black Panther, Iron Man, Michael, One Battle After Another and more.
All of his children are private and live their life away from the public eye, so not much is known about them.
The star had a big family that included his three siblings, Michaela Cullen, Sonny Cullen and Larry Cullen, who live reclusive lives away from the cameras.
A statement after his passing read: “[Peter] passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family – and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide.”
In the moving statement, his brother Larry featured a powerful quote that he provided to Peter as advice years ago: “His family asks that you honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty and always remember ‘be strong enough to be gentle.'”
Larry heavily influenced Peter’s role in Transformers, as he served as a United States Marine Corps’ captain at one point.
During an interview with Comic Book Movie, the actor recalled the special moment he heard Larry’s advice for the first time ,prior to his audition for Transformers.
He revealed that Larry told him: “Well if you’re going to be a hero Peter, be a real hero. Don’t be one of those pretend Hollywood heroes, always yelling and acting tough. Be a real hero.”
His brother continued: “If you’re gonna be a hero Peter, remember, be strong enough to be gentle. Be compassionate. Be understanding. Don’t go yelling and screaming.”
Larry’s advice left a lasting impact on Peter, which led to a successful audition, which he tearfully credited his brother for during the interview.
Peter added: “That influence that he had on me – his voice, it’s the way he had said what he had said — [it] just rolled out of me. Just came rolling out and it felt so comfortable. It felt so good.”
The actor gushed: “By the time it was all over and I was driving away, I had this warm feeling that I just did the best audition I’ve ever done in my life and so my brother Larry was directly responsible for that and I’m forever grateful.”