Lucasfilm
Tributes have flooded in for Peter Mayhew, the actor who played the role in Star Wars: A New Hope and the sequels that followed, all of the way through to Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. Mayhew passed away at the age of 74 at his home in Texas.
A family statement on Twitter read: “The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home.”
Tributes have flooded in from the film world, and his co-collaborators on the Star Wars movies. Han Solo himself, Harrison Ford, led the tributes saying:
“We were partners in film and friends in life for over 30 years and I loved him.”
“He invested his soul in the character and brought great pleasure to the Star Wars audience.”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams also took to social media to pay his respects.
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Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the movies, also said: “He was the gentlest of giants-A big man with an even bigger heart who never failed to make me smile & a loyal friend who I loved dearly-I’m grateful for the memories we shared & I’m a better man for just having known him. Thanks Pete.”
He was the gentlest of giants-A big man with an even bigger heart who never failed to make me smile & a loyal friend who I loved dearly-I’m grateful for the memories we shared & I’m a better man for just having known him. Thanks Pete #RIPPeterMayhew #Heartbroken @TheWookieeRoars pic.twitter.com/8xbq9HEWF2
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) May 2, 2019
Mayhew is survived by his wife Angie, and his three children.
