Getty ImagesJames Earl Jones, the Hollywood actor and voice of Darth Vader, has died at the age of 93, his agent said.
He died early Monday morning surrounded by family, his agent Barry McPherson said.
Jones has starred in dozens of films including Field of Dreams, Coming To America and Conan the Barbarian. He is best known for his role as the supervillain Darth Vader in Star Wars, with his signature raspy voice.
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, Vader’s son in Star Wars, posted “RIP Dad” along with a broken heart emoji when sharing the news of his father’s death.
Jones also provided the voice of Mufasa in Disney’s 1994 film The Lion King and CNN’s catchphrase “This is CNN”.
Born in Mississippi in January 1931, Jones said he was unable to speak for most of his childhood because of a stutter.
He explained that he developed his distinctive voice while trying to overcome a stutter.
He has won numerous awards including an Emmy, a Tony, a Grammy, and an honorary Oscar.
Jones voiced Darth Vader in the first Star Wars film released in 1977 and its sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
He reprised the role in subsequent releases such as the first installment of the Star Wars anthology series, Rogue One, and the third installment of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – both released in the late 2010s.
Getty ImagesThere is always another actor who dresses up as Darth Vader and performs the moves for this famous villain, including The late David Prowsewith Jones’ deep and recognizable voice.
“I love being a part of that whole myth, of that whole cult,” Jones said in a previous interview, adding that he was happy to indulge fans when they asked him to recite the line “I am your father.”
Jones said he never made much money from his role as Darth Vader – just $9,000 (£6,884) for the first film – and he considered it just a special effects job.
At his own insistence, he was not given credit for his performance. He felt it was all just another “special effect.”
When the film broke all box office records, he had to rethink.
Jones is also known as a television actor for playing the older Alex Hailey in Roots: The Next Generation and won one of two Emmy Awards for his leading role in the American television series Gabriel’s Fire.
His husky voice was used in The Simpsons and he appeared in early episodes of Sesame Street.
Jones has also handled many of Shakespeare’s iconic characters on stage, including Othello and King Lear.
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