JoBe Cerny, who voiced the playful Pillsbury Doughboy in commercials and appeared in hit films, died at the age of 78. His son and family confirmed that his father died on Oct. 30 in Grayslake, Illinois.
Per the official announcement, Cerny died after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His son confirmed, according to TMZ, that his father was diagnosed with the disease in 2020 and had to step away from voicing the lovable and giggly baking mascot around that time as his health declined.
Cerny took over voicing the commercial character from Paul Frees and Jeff Bergman and was Procter & Gamble’s silent spokesman for Cheer detergent, The Cheer Man.
“I’ve gone through phases over the years,” he said in a 2007 interview. “Sometimes [Pillsbury gets] a new executive. One guy said, ‘You know, I’ve always hated the voice of the Doughboy. And that’s you. I’m gonna do everything I can to not let the Doughboy talk anymore.’ This was about seven years ago. That guy lost his job. He got fired the next year and a whole floor of people got fired with him. And then the next year I talked twice as much to make up for it.
The director, actor and voice actor was an Illinois native and graduated from Morton East High School in Cicero. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech & Drama from Valparaiso University and a Master’s Degree in Theater from Northwestern University.
The voice actor behind the Pillsbury Doughboy, JoBe Cerny, has passed away at age 78 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/8ZB1o92FSP
— AuxGod (@AuxGod_) November 10, 2026
Cerny also owned and operated Cerny/American Creative Recording Studio for over 30 years and worked on countless commercial and audiobook projects. While many know him for his cheery voice for Pillsbury, he also appeared in a number of hit films.
He appeared as a tailor in Julia Roberts’ My Best Friend’s Wedding, the Steve Martin black comedy Novocaine, and a house clerk in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. One of his most highly credited works was directing a 98-hour dramatized audio production of the New King James Version of the Bible called The Word of Promise. It included over 500 actors like Marisa Tomei, Richard Dreyfuss, Jon Voight, and the late Luke Perry.
“I’m lucky, I get to be somebody different every day and in the end, I’m glad I stuck with my irresponsible decision to have fun. It allows me to live happily ever after…every day,” said Cerny of his career.
Cerny is survived by his wife of 56 years, Eileen Cerny; two sons, Tim (Andrea) Cerny and Patrick (Lily) Cerny; and grandchildren, Archer and Cleo.
Related: Nick Cannon Reveals Why He Had ‘No Problem’ Signing a Prenup Before Marrying Mariah Carey