He Was Great

Thurl Ravenscroft, the basso profundo voice actor and singer, died Sunday at the age of 91. Perhaps best known for pitching Kellog's Frosted Flakes as Tony the Tiger, Ravenscroft also backed up performers such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley and lent his distinctive voice to many animated films including "Lady and the Tramp" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." (That was Ravenscroft singing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.") But he was also an important part of Disneyland and its sister theme parks. Ravenscroft's voice was featured on many classic attractions such as Adventures Through Inner Space and Submarine Voyage. His voice lives on as one of the singing statuary in the graveyard scene of the Haunted Mansion and as many of the drunken buccaneers in Pirates of the Caribbean. In honor of Ravenscroft, all theme park fans should raise a mug of rum and, "Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!"