Kenny Baker, the actor who portrayed the character of R2-D2 in the original Star Wars trilogy as well as the trilogy of prequels, sadly died at the weekend following a short illness. Baker, who at just 1.12 metres tall, was universally loved in the role of R2-D@ and a firm favourite on the convention circuit around the world. As well as being in the Star Wars movies, Baker also roles in Time Bandits, Amadeus and Flash Gordon.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Baker’s niece, Abigail Shield, paid tribute to her uncle.
“It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime”.
She added that “when he was a child, he was told that he probably wouldn’t survive through puberty, being a little person in those times, they didn’t have a very good life expectancy. He did extremely well in his life”.
Rest in peace Kenny. Thank you for the memories and the movies.
