Main image: benches in Central Park by Phil Dolby via Flickr; Inset: Rachael Lillis at Animate Florida in 2017 by Super Festivals
A newly dedicated bench in Central Park now bears the name of beloved voice actress Rachael Lillis, best known for bringing to life Misty, Jessie, and Jigglypuff in the original Pokémon series. Lillis, a longtime voice acting icon who helped define the childhoods of millions, died in August 2024 at the age of 55 following a brief battle with breast cancer.
Advertisement
The tribute bench—#7603—is located on a scenic stretch between 106th and 108th Streets, just off Central Park West, and was revealed earlier this month by fellow voice actor Veronica Taylor, who portrayed Ash Ketchum in the same series.“I am so happy to reveal the bench in honor of Rachael Lillis,” Taylor wrote in a post on X/Twitter.
Great news! I am so happy to reveal the bench in honor of Rachael Lillis in Central Park’s Upper West Side. It is #7603 on the path between 106th St and 108th St off Central Park West. The map shows you exactly where it is. @TaraSandsVO @Lisalisejam #RachaelLillis
#CentralPark pic.twitter.com/QjIYPFYiRE— Veronica Taylor (@TheVeronicaT) October 8, 2025
Lillis’s decades-long career in animation and gaming made her a staple of late-‘90s and early-2000s pop culture. She voiced Misty, the water-type gym leader and one of Ash’s closest companions in the Pokémon anime, as well as Jessie, the flamboyant and villainous half of Team Rocket. Her performance as the pink, crooning Jigglypuff—especially in the Super Smash Bros. video game series—remains iconic among fans. In addition to Pokémon, Lillis lent her voice to titles like Hunter x Hunter, Winx Club, and Your Lie in April.
Now, her voice joins a select chorus of famous names inscribed on Central Park benches, a quiet but enduring honor in New York’s most visited green space. Other celebrities with dedicated benches include Tony Bennett, Drew Barrymore, Sigourney Weaver, and Kelly Ripa, among others.
Central Park’s 10,000 benches have long been more than just places to sit. Since the Park’s founding over 160 years ago, benches have acted as places to rest, reflect, meet, mourn and celebrate. Each one tells a story—often literally, thanks to the Adopt-A-Bench program, which has adorned over 7,000 seats with commemorative plaques honoring everything from marriages and anniversaries to lost loved ones.
Advertisement
Benches like Lillis’s are often Central Park Settees, a classic cast-iron and wood design dating back to the mid-19th century. Designed to be simple and unobtrusive, the Settee allows the natural beauty of the park to take center stage—much like Lillis herself, whose characters supported and colored the adventures of others while leaving an indelible mark of their own.Maintenance of these benches is a community effort. Volunteers regularly clean and repaint them, ensuring each one continues to offer New Yorkers and visitors alike a welcoming place to pause. Whether you’re there for a quiet moment or to read the plaque of a cherished performer, these benches form the emotional infrastructure of the Park.
Fans are already making pilgrimages to the new bench, snapping photos, leaving flowers, and sitting for a moment of reflection. For those who grew up with Pokémon, it’s a fitting tribute: a peaceful spot beneath the trees where the voice behind so many animated adventures can rest among the city she called home.
As Veronica Taylor put it in her tribute, “Rachael was a magnificent wonder and truly special. She burned bright and vanished too soon. She will live on in our memories for eternity.”
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
