Sam A. Mowry, the voice behind the likes of League of Legends‘ Rhaast, a half-dozen Dota 2 heroes, and many other characters from across gaming and television, passed away this weekend on July 20. He was 64 years old.
For over 40 years, Mowry dedicated himself to the arts, lending his voice to performances on screen and stage as well as an expansive catalog of characters in gaming. “For those who do not know, my beloved Sam died this morning. Find each other and share stories and hugs and maybe a glass of whiskey or some bacon,” Mowry’s wife Cindy McGean wrote on Facebook.
It’s understood Mowry passed due to complications while preparing for emergency surgery, according to a tribute post from Oregon ArtsWatch writer Bob Hicks.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Mowry became a centerpiece of the theater scene, but readers here will know his deep tone and powerful voice from games like League and Dota. Mowry was the dark voice of Rhaast, one-half of the Shadow Reaper Kayn, and made appearances both in-game and across many of Riot’s cinematics featuring the champion. Mowry reprised the character in Legends of Runeterra in 2020.
Mowry was incredibly versatile, as proven by his numerous appearances in Dota 2, voicing the likes of Anti-Mage, Beastmaster, Clockwerk, Necrophos, Slardar, Warlock, and the game’s Shopkeeper for many of Valve’s cinematic cutscenes. In total, Mowry has over 30 credits for voice acting in video games, including other titles like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and 9 Monkeys of Shaolin.
“For the voice of a Darklin, Sam was a bastion of light,” Riot Games said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) today. “It was an honor to work with him and he will live on as a part of Runeterra forever.”
