Richard Riehle Cause of Death: How Did Legendary Avatar Artist Pass Away?

Iconic voice actor and the English voice actor for the character of Bumi in Avatar: The Legend of Korra has sadly passed away at the age of 78. According to TMZ, friends of Riehle informed the outlet that the actor had died last Thursday (October 15) in Los Angeles.

According to the outlet, the actor, at 78 years old, had died of natural causes. The actor was best known for voicing Bumi in the animated Avatar series and is also credited with appearing in over 400 projects during his longtime career in Hollywood.

Richard Riehle Was Credited With Over 400 Hollywood Projects

Richard Riehle in a still from Office Space | Credits: Judgemental Films

Best known for playing the self-described “people person” at Initech, Richard Riehle portrayed the role of Tom Smykowski in the 1999 film Office Space. In the 1999 film, Riehle’s character gets laid off from his company, survives a hit-and-run accident, and lands a massive financial settlement that finally allows him to follow his dreams.

However, that was just one of the more famous of Riehle’s projects. The actor is credited with over 400 Hollywood projects to his name, including Grounded for Life, The Fugitive, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, and Barry. The actor also played Santa Claus across eight different projects. The actor also appeared in various episodes of Star Trek: Voyager (as Seamus Driscoll) and Star Trek: The Next Generation; however, Richard Riehle’s career break is often traced to a cameo as the Quartermaster in the 1989 film Glory.

Although there are no official announcements about whether the character of Bumi is slated to return in any of the future Avatar projects, the character of Bumi will have to be voiced by a different actor for its English dub.

The best moments of Richard Riehle’s time as Bumi can be seen in Avatar: The Legend of Korra and Office Space, which are available to stream on Paramount+.