C. Martin Croker

**Clay Martin Croker** (January 10, 1962 – September 17, 2016), generally billed as **C. Martin Croker**, was an American animator and voice actor. He was best known for having provided the voices of Zorak and Moltar on the animated series *Space Ghost Coast to Coast*, replacing Don Messick, who originally voiced the characters in the 1960s series *Space Ghost*.

## Career

Croker began his professional career in animation in 1988 by providing animation of the Laser Show at Stone Mountain.

Croker animated various "TNT Toons" promos for TNT in the early 1990s and helped animate and design bumpers for Cartoon Network in 1998. Croker also worked on various commercials and bumpers which often featured well-known cartoon characters.

Croker is best known for providing the voices of Zorak and Moltar in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim/GameTap animated series *Space Ghost Coast to Coast*, throughout its entire run from 1994 until 2008. In addition to being the show's principal animator, it was also his idea to have Zorak and Moltar be Space Ghost's sidekicks. He also voiced Zorak on *Cartoon Planet* and *The Brak Show* and voiced Moltar as the host of Toonami from 1997 until 1999.

Croker served as an animator for *Aqua Teen Hunger Force* and its 2007 feature film adaption *Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters*. He also provided the voices for Dr. Weird, Steve, and various characters for the series.

Croker provided the voice of Young Man and other various characters in *Perfect Hair Forever*.

## Death and tributes

On September 17, 2016, Croker suddenly became ill, vomiting and developing a fever. Initially passing it off as food poisoning from consuming sushi, he asked his girlfriend to retrieve symptom relief medication from the store. When she returned to their home, less than an hour later, she found him unresponsive. She called an ambulance and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, where he was then pronounced dead. Croker was 54. No cause of death has been publicly given.

Adult Swim honored him by re-airing the first *Space Ghost Coast to Coast* episode produced, "Elevator", on September 19, 2016 as a special presentation. The tribute began with a brief description of Croker's contribution to *Space Ghost* and Adult Swim, with the words his character Zorak said in one episode: "Think of me when you look to the night sky", then the episode played. At the end of the episode, the screen shows "C. Martin Croker [1962-2016]". In the wake of the news of his death, Croker's friends and colleagues, such as his *Coast to Coast* friends George Lowe and Andy Merrill, paid tribute to him in posts on social media. Adult Swim made almost every episode of *Space Ghost Coast to Coast* available for free on their website in honor of him.

On September 24, 2016, Croker was honored at the beginning of Toonami in a segment in which T.O.M. receives a transmission from Moltar saying he's returning to his home planet and not returning, then boasting that he was the better Toonami host. T.O.M. wishes Moltar the best of luck and says "May your oven stay forever lit." An image of Croker was then shown, captioned "(1962-2016)".

## References

1. ↑ Template:Cite book
2. ↑ True Total Clips - Interview C Martin Crocker - with Sum Dude and That Guy Posted on YouTube on July 10, 2016.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "R.I.P. Clay Martin Croker, Adult Swim animator and voice actor". Retrieved on 19 September 2016.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lincoln, Ross. "C. Martin Croker Dies: Voice Actor And Animator On ‘Space Ghost Coast To Coast’ And ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ Was 54". https://deadline.com/2016/09/adult-swim-c-martin-croker-dies-at-55-1201821822/. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
5. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/adultswim/comments/53f3bn/details\_about\_c\_martin\_crokers\_death/
6. ↑ Statement made by Adult Swim on September 18, 2016.
7. ↑ Statement made by Adult Swim on September 19, 2016.
8. ↑ Template:Citation

## External links

* Template:IMDb name
* Template:Findagrave
* Template:Amg name

Template:SGCTC
Template:Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Template:Williams Street
Template:Authority control