Dead by Daylight voice actor Zoey Alexandria dead at 29 weeks after The Unknown character's debut in popular video game | 2AV3482 | 2024-05-08 19:08:01
VOICE actor Zoey Alexandria, best known for her work in the popular video game Dead by Daylight, has died due to brain inflammation.
Alexandria, also known as Zoey Wendorf, 29, died from pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, a form of encephalitis, on April 30 in Chicago, Illinois.
The condition is rare in adults, but Wendorf also had a pre-existing immunoglobulin G deficiency and chronic strep infections which made contracting the brain inflammation more likely, according to a GoFundMe.
Due to her health struggles, the voice actor was unable to work and created the fundraiser to help sustain herself in 2022.
Wendorf was known for her voice work in the horror game Dead by Daylight where she played a character called The Unknown.
Fans who admired Wendorf's work offered condolences on her obituary.
"Found her from her voice acting The Unknown. It feels surreal that this even happened. I want to extend my condolences to the family of Zoey. She was taken too soon. Rest in peace," said one fan.
"Found her through DBD and adored her voice acting. She was a very strong woman for being able to sing and do all the stuff she did even against all odds. I hope she rests in peace, fly high Zoey!" wrote another.
"A real shame to be waking up to this. Zoey may be no longer with us physically, but her soul has been immortalized in the artwork that she had dedicated herself towards," shared a third fan.
"I'm sure she's watching from up above, in anticipation of the impact her perspective will have on the many generations to come. For this fact alone we should be grateful. Rest in peace, Zoey."
'I WAS TRICKED'
Wendorf's Dead by Daylight character, The Unknown, was intended to represent "uncanny human-shaped figures and monsters seen in analog horror such as The Mandela Catalogue where creatures called Alters terrorize their victims," according to Niche Gamer.
The Unknown is an amorphous creature with twisted flesh, wearing the corpse of a victim and speaking in their voice.
The monster preyed on both men and women so Wendorf used her voice to represent both genders.
Wendorf matched the voices based on cosmetics, meaning a strong male voice was paired with masculine features, and a loud female voice with more feminine.
However, the character's body shape does not change when it wears a new skin, staying conventionally masculine.
So when a fan posted to X, formerly Twitter, questioning the new monster, the comments went viral.
Wendorf accused Behaviour Interactive, the owners of Death by Daylight, of transphobia in a statement.
"Regarding my recent viral witch-hanging, I voiced the character The Unknown in Dead by Daylight. At the time of voicing, it was a great experience," the post began, according to Niche Gamer.
"I was told at the time I was voicing the character that there was no model and that the creature was supposed to be amorphous. They had no model design before I recorded my lines.
"So it's my assumption that the design team took my medical history, and my ability to use multiple voices as an opportunity to create character models that encapsulate my medical history as trans and capitalize on catering to the transphobic community.
"I was tricked into voicing a stereotype. Since yesterday, I have been virally harassed for being trans, by thousands of people.
"Many folks in the trans community are up in arms over this and rightfully so. I feel that reparations from the team that deliberately tricked me is the only logical next choice of action. I am so upset, so infuriated that people are comparing trans people to these clearly TRANSPHOBIC character skins.
</div> "If I had any idea of the fallout that would happen after simply voicing a character, I never would have in the first place. Let me personally apologize to anyone who has been a victim of transphobia due to this release. Please know you are loved. Know that you are valid.
"As for me. I am not okay. This has ruined my reputation and has put me physically at risk [of] being attacked in public if anyone recognizes my face or voice. There were no diversity consultants on this project. The company knew that making a stereotypical "man in a dress" as a character and having a TRANS voice actress voicing it, would bring lots of money and people back to the game.
"I'm not dumb, I know how marketing works. This seems to be a huge ploy and the trans community along with myself were victims."
A spokesperson from Behavior Interactive shed light on the issue.
"Since our latest Chapter release, folks have taken it upon themselves to divert our work from its original purpose and use our newest Killer to target and harass players," read the statement to Niche Gamer.
"We want to say loudly and unequivocally that this malicious content and attitude is unacceptable and has no place in Dead by Daylight. This community should be a safe place where EVERYONE can find a true sense of belonging.
"These people have also directly targeted the voice artist behind The Unknown, resulting in her being at the center of hideous attacks. She is highly talented, and we were privileged to collaborate with her," they continued.
"Her voice acting experience is perfect for the character we were designing, which needed a wide range of voice tones and expert-level techniques. The reception for The Unknown has been phenomenally positive and this is in big part thanks to her dedication and amazing work.
"We will continue to express support to our voice actress, to all of our community members as well as standing actively against hate in our game."
Dead by Daylight also posted on Monday remembering the voice actor.
"Like many in our community, we're deeply saddened to learn that The Unknown's voice actress, Zoey Alexandria, has passed away. We welcomed her into our world, and her talent shone brightly through her performance. Our thoughts are with her loved ones in this difficult time," they wrote.
The U.S. Sun contacted Dead by Daylight and Wendorf's GoFundMe for comment.
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