Valve is paying tribute to Rick May, the voice actor famous for his portrayal of Soldier in Team Fortress 2.
In an update to the game, Valve is letting players grieve the loss of an iconic voice with several tributes. Statues of the Soldier have appeared in the game, which depict the character and read:“Rick May 1940-2020 – That was a hell of a campaign, son!” and deliver iconic quotes. Valve also included military taps to the the game’s menu, a nod to his character’s military inspiration. The tributes will run throughout the month of May.
May passed away in early April due to complications related to COVID-19. Fellow Team Fortress 2 voice actor John Patrick Lowrie, who played Sniper, posted about May on Facebook, stating that the last time he saw May was at his final voice recording where May portrayed Inspector Lestrade for radio show The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
“Rick May was a force of nature, a pain in the a** sometimes but never to the point where I would not use him again and again,” wrote Lowrie. “We were working friends, colleagues, and buddies.”
Fans of the game have taken to Twitter, with many thanking May for the hours of joy he brought to their lives. In one Team Fortress 2 service, a group gathered and shot their weapons in the air in unison as a military-inspired 21-gun salute.
May’s résumé also features other notable video game characters. Aside from Soldier, May voiced the likes of Peppy Hare and Andross from Starfox 64, Dr. M from Sly Cooper 3: Honor Among Thieves, and Genghis Khan from Age of Empires II. Outside of gaming, May spent the majority of his career working in theatre. In recent years, May taught performing arts at Rekindle School’s Washington Campus.
May passed away after contracting COVID-19 at the age of 79. He was living in a nursing home following a stroke in February 2020.
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