NEW YORK — The voice actor who helped bring Pillsbury’s Doughboy mascot to life has died. JoBe Cerny was 78.

An obituary states that he died on Oct. 30 in Illinois. Cerny’s son told TMZ on Tuesday his father lost his long battle with Alzheimer’s. The cognitive disease reportedly prompted him to step away from commercial work as the doughy character also known as Poppin’ Fresh in 2020.

Cerny also appeared in movies including “Somewhere in Time,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Road to Perdition” and “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde,” according to IMDb. But his best known role was that of the Doughboy character who famously chuckled when his belly was poked at the end of pastry ads.

The Illinois native’s obituary said he collected model trains and raced go-karts and operated a Chicago recording studio for 30 years.

His unusual first name was dreamed up by his parents — an engineer dad named Joe and an artist named Bea — according to a 2009 Chicago Tribune article.

Cerny reportedly studied theater at Indiana’s Valparaiso University and earned a master’s degree at Northwestern University. He also performed with the touring company of Chicago’s famed Second City group.

He described the Doughboy character he voiced for more than five years as “warm, cute and just a likable guy.”

He said it was his job to make sure that perception didn’t change. The mascot became a household name in 1965.

A private service for Cerny has already taken place. He’s survived by his wife of 56 years, Eileen Cerny, and their two sons.

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