Two simple words have echoed the grief of several generations with the announcement of the death of James Earl Jones.
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, son of Jones’ Darth Vader, posted the message to X , “#RIP dad” accompanied by a broken heart.
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Hamill expanded his message on Instagram with, “One of the world’s finest actors whose contributions to Star Wars were immeasurable. He’ll be greatly missed. #RIP dad.”
George Lucas, the creator of the “Star Wars” franchise, released a statement posted by StarWars.com and Lucasfilm upon Jones’ death, which said, “James was an incredible actor, a most unique voice both in art and spirit. For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being.” He added, “He gave depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn. James will be missed by so many of us...friends and fans alike.”
Jones gave his deep baritone voice to several characters over his decades-long career including Mufasa in both the original and remake of ‘The Lion King.”
Rob Minkoff, the co-director of the original animated feature, wrote on Instagram , “I was blessed to get to work with him. His portrayal of Mufasa was perfection. What a powerful man and actor. Gone but will never be forgotten. Rest in power.” He shared a photo from 1993 of Jones holding a maquette or statue of Mufasa.
Disney CEO Bob Iger released a statement which said, “From the gentle wisdom of Mufasa to the menacing threat of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones gave voice to some of the greatest characters in cinema history. A celebrated stage actor with nearly 200 film and television credits to his name, the stories he brought to life with a uniquely commanding presence and a true richness of spirit have left an indelible mark on generations of audiences.”
Disney purchased “Star Wars” from Lucasfilm in 2012, People magazine reported.
But Jones was not just a star for the Disney corporation. He had so many films that became the fabric of American filmmaking.
“Field of Dreams” co-star Kevin Costner honored Jones on Instagram , “That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I’ll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams.”
Major League Baseball shared a clip of Jones who “gave a moving recitation of our National Anthem at the 1993 MLB All-Star Game in Baltimore,” the same city where Francis Scott Key penned the poem that became our national song and where the “star spangled banner yet waved” during the War of 1812 , nearly 180 years earlier.
“Roots” star LeVar Burton posted on X saying, “There will never be another of his particular combination of graces.”
Prime Video wrote simply “RIP to a King” in reference to his “Coming to America” and “Coming 2 America” character “King Jaffe Joffer. His final film appearance was the sequel to the Eddie Murphy film, USA Today reported. His last voice role was in the Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” according to IMDB .
Josh Gad, known for his role as Olaf in “Frozen,” wrote what many may have been thinking when they heard the news of Jones’ passing.
“For so many of us, you defined our childhoods from ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Lion King,’ from ‘Field of Dreams’ to ‘The Sandlot,’ from ‘Coming to America’ to ‘Dr. Strangelove.’ Thank you James for giving your life to art and filling our lifetimes with some of the best performances of any resume ever. It was an honor to know you and an even bigger honor to get (to) perform in a theater with your namesake.”
Jones was an EGOT winner, meaning he is one of only a handful of performers who have earned an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony, USA Today reported. He was given an honorary Oscar, The Associated Press reported. He also has a Broadway theater named in his honor.
He died on Monday at the age of 93 surrounded by loved ones. His cause of death was not released.
Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi on Jan. 17, 1931. His father abandoned his family before he was born. When the actor was 6, his mother took him to her parents’ home, a farm near Manistee, Michigan. His grandparents adopted him.
“A world ended for me, the safe world of childhood,” he wrote in his autobiography, “Voices and Silences.” “The move from Mississippi to Michigan was supposed to be a glorious event. For me it was a heartbreak, and not long after, I began to stutter.”
He refused to speak for years, writing notes instead to communicate, but when a high school teacher found out that Jones wrote poetry, forced him to read it in class. Jones did so without stuttering.
They worked together to get Jones comfortable to speak once again.
“I could not get enough of speaking, debating, orating — acting,” Jones said.
He started at the University of Michigan as pre-med but after failing a test, he switched his major to drama.
Jones reunited with his father and enrolled in the American Theater Wing program for young actors. The pair waxed floors to survive while trying to find acting work.
Jones got his big break in 1970′s “The Great White Hope,” a play in which Jones played the first Black heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson.
Jones was married twice. First to Julienne Marie Hendricks in 1967 but then divorced and then Cecilia Hart in 1982. Hart and Jones had a son Flynn Earl in 1983. Hart died in 2016.
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