NEW YORK (AP) — Peter Cullen, a prolific voice actor who enlivened scores of TV series, specials and movies, including Optimus Prime in the syndicated 1984 series “Transformers” and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh cartoon franchise, has died. He was 85.

His agent, Kevin Motley, said Cullen died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. “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,’” said a family statement.

Cullen’s career spanned from being an announcer at the groundbreaking late-1960s comedy and variety series “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” and joining comedy sketches for Sonny & Cher to voice acting in “The Smurfs” and multiple G.I. Joe iterations. But he struck a nerve as Optimus Prime.

When Cullen read about the heroic Autobot leader that turned into a red cabover semitrailer, he thought about his older brother, who had served as a U.S. Marine in the Vietnam War.

“He was my hero, and he certainly was the mainstay behind the character,” Cullen said. “I just did an impression of Larry, and he’s still alive in my mind today because every time I do Prime, there’s my brother Larry.”