Lucille Bliss, a voice performer who provided the voice of numerous animated characters, including Crusader Rabbit and Smurfette, died November 8, 2012, at an assisted living center in Costa Mesa, California. She was 96.
According to news reports, she died from natural causes.
Born in New York City on March 31, 1916, Bliss began her career as a radio performer in San Francisco, where she moved with her mother following her father's death.
In San Francisco Bliss was also part of the early children's series The Happy Birthday to You Show.
Her first break as a voice artist came when she won the role of Anastasia, one of the wicked stepsisters in Walt Disney’s Cinderella.
She then achieved success as the voice of the lead character in the animated series Crusader Rabbit, which debuted in 1949. In the ensuing years she worked on numerous animated programs, including The Flintstones, The Jetsons and The Smurfs, which first aired from 1981 to 1989. In the latter, she created the popular character Smurfette.
Her later voice work included the animated series Duck Dodgers, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Invader ZIM.
More about her life and work is available at: