Like for many queer kids, Pokémon loomed large in my adolescent life. Sure there were cute animals and plenty of action, but Team Rocket, made up of the gender-bending and always fierce Jessie and James were exactly the kind of camp villains I was living for.
Over the weekend, Laurie Orr — sister to Rachael Lillis who famously voiced Jessie, as well as Misty, Jigglypuff, and more in the English Dub of the show — announced that Lillis had passed following a battle with breast cancer.
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Orr shared the news via a message on her sister’s GoFundMe page. “With a heavy heart, I regret to say that Rachael has passed away. She passed peacefully Saturday night, without pain, and for that we are grateful,” wrote Orr. “Unfortunately, regrettably, I was not with her, it was just this past week that she was starting to decline. This was unexpected and we are completely grief-stricken. We ask for peace, for now, as her family grieves this loss.”
She also shared that donated funds, which totaled over $96,000 would go toward remaining “medical bills remaining, a memorial service for her, and causes in her name-specifically toward efforts to combat cancer.”
“My heart breaks losing my dear little sister, though I am comforted knowing she is free,” concluded Orr.
Previously Orr had shared that her sister’s battle with cancer had worsened and that she had entered convalescence care, as it had spread from her breast to her spine.
Following the announcement, fellow voice actor Veronica Taylor who voices Ash in the series shared a heartfelt message about her friendship with Lillis on X (formerly Twitter).
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“I was lucky enough to know Rachael as a friend. She had unlimited kindness and compassion, even until the very end. She had a great sense of humor, was wonderful to be with, incredibly intelligent, and had such a memory. She worked hard and cared deeply,” wrote Taylor. “I am not sure how this very dark void will be filled now that her light no longer shines in it. Like the shooting stars in the Perseids, Rachael was a magnificent wonder and truly special. She burned bright and vanished too soon. She will live on in our memories for eternity.”