Bethesda voice actor Wes Johnson (Image: Facebook)
An iconic Bethesda voice actor, Wes Johnson, was found in his Atlanta hotel room on Jan. 22 “barely alive.” The overwhelming support from his fans helped his family raise over $100,000 in a matter of days.
The 63-year-old actor had volunteered to host an event for the National Alzheimer’s Foundation in Atlanta on Jan. 22, but attendants grew concerned when he did not show up. His wife, Kim, failed to reach him and contacted the hotel where he was staying. After being found unconscious by hotel staff, the emergency medical technicians arrived and struggled to find a pulse. Johnson was then placed into the intensive care unit and put into a medically induced coma.
Kim reported his condition to concerned fans online and organized a GoFundMe page with the hope of receiving financial assistance for her husband’s medical bills as his condition was, at that time, looking rather grim. The Johnson family set a goal of $50,000 and, in a matter of days, that goal had been tripled and is now at a whopping $182,275 at the time of writing.
To everyone’s joy, Johnson regained consciousness on Jan. 28, and on Jan. 30 was well enough to engage with the community online while he remained hospitalized and was able to leave Atlanta for home the following day. Johnson later wrote a follow-up post on his GoFundMe page, saying, “I responded in a miracle-like fashion to heroic efforts by the Emory University Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Doctors and nurses told me they were surprised that I was coming back completely undamaged, but then, none of us knew just how many people were in my corner.”
Johnson is best known in the gaming community for his many voice-acting roles in Bethesda games, including Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, as well as the more recent Starfield. Additionally, Johnson has been working with the NHL as the public address announcer for the Washington Capitals for 25 years. After all of this combined with his appearances in many films and television shows, Johnson has accrued supporters from a wide variety of communities.
After seeing the massive amount of support that the gaming and hockey community alike had shown him in his time of need, Johnson uploaded a video on X thanking everyone for their kindness. “I can’t express what it means to me – all the love I’ve received from the gaming community,” he said. “A lot of people have to wait until after they’re gone to have people say nice things about them like that. They never get to hear it. I’m the lucky one… I’m coming back. And I’m coming back stronger because of you.”
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