I stumbled across the news while on Facebook: Jack Angel, the voice of Astrotrain, has died. He was 90.
Astrotrain wasn’t one of my favorite characters; he was a Deception and I was firmly an Autobot supporter. My main crush was Bumblebee. But my uncle managed to get a Transformer for me during Christmas and that Transformer was Astrotrain.
I started warming up to him immediately. Yes, he could be a jerk at times, but I at least had that particular jerk! Since I didn’t have a lot of Transformers when I was younger, poor Astrotrain went through a lot. He has sticker wear, chipped paint, scuffs and scratches, you name it. He’s been heavily loved.
I also was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Angel at a BotCon. We chatted; the poor man was moving and he had no idea how he had managed to accumulate so much! He was an absolute sweetheart and I’m honored to have gotten that chance to meet him.
It doesn’t feel quite real. A part of my childhood is gone. There’s another gaping hole that can’t be filled, an ache that lingers. Things seem emptier and duller around me.
Wherever you are, Mr. Angel: have a good journey. You will be missed. The world is a sadder place without you here.
Iacon East 