Heather North, the voice actress who played Daphne Blake in the Scooby-Doo franchise for over three decades, died of a heart attack caused by a respiratory disease, according to her death certificate. She was 71 years old when she passed away at her home in Los Angeles on November 29, 2017.
A Long Battle with Constrictive Bronchiolitis
North’s official cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest with an underlying cause of constrictive bronchiolitis, a rare and chronic lung condition that affects the small airways and makes breathing difficult. According to TMZ, low oxygen levels also contributed to her death.
Constrictive bronchiolitis can be caused by various factors, such as infections, autoimmune diseases, exposure to toxic substances, or organ transplant rejection. The symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, and weight loss. There is no cure for the disease, and treatment options are limited.
North had been battling the illness for a long time, and her health had deteriorated in the months before her death. She had been hospitalized several times and had received oxygen therapy at home.
A Beloved Voice of Scooby-Doo
North was best known for voicing Daphne Blake, the fashionable and fearless member of the Mystery Inc. gang, in various installments of the Scooby-Doo franchise. She took over the role from Stefanianna Christopherson in the second season of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1970 and continued to voice the character until 2003.
She also appeared in several live-action films and TV shows, such as The Barefoot Executive (1971), a Disney comedy starring Kurt Russell, and Days of Our Lives (1967-1972), a NBC soap opera where she met her husband H. Wesley Kenney, who was a producer of the show. They remained married until his death in 2015.
North was remembered by her fans and colleagues as a talented and kind-hearted person who brought joy and laughter to many people. Her voice will live on in the hearts of Scooby-Doo lovers everywhere.
