Messick was born on September 7, 1926, in Buffalo, New York, the son of Binford Earl Messick, a house painter, Lena Birch (née Hughes) and the brother … See more

Early work
At first, Messick wanted to be a ventriloquist and even supported himself as one for a time in the late 1940s and early … See more

Messick married Helen McHugh on October 10, 1953, and they remained married until Messick's death on October 24, 1997. Together, they had one child. See more

Don Messick suffered a second stroke and died on October 24, 1997, in Salinas, California. He was 71 years old. See more

Since Messick's death in 1997, Hadley Kay, Scott Innes, Neil Fanning, and Frank Welker have all voiced the role of Scooby-Doo. In 1998, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was dedicated to his memory. In 2011, Jonathan Winters (who voiced Grandpa Smurf in … See more