James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, The Lion King‘s Mufasa, and countless more iconic roles, has died at the age of 93.
Deadline reports that Jones passed this morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York. The legendary actor was a star across stage and screen—one of the vaunted few to have earned the EGOT, winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards—in a career bursting with some of the most beloved films in history. From Dr. Strangelove in 1964 all the way up to his reprisal of King Jaffe Joffer in the sequel Coming 2 America in 2021, Jones’ filmography is defined by some of the most successful films of all time, including memorable turns in Field of Dreams, Conan the Barbarian, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and many more, and of course famous TV roles in everything from Gabriel’s Fire to his memorable Simpsons cameos.
But sci-fi fans will, of course, forever remember Jones as the booming, deep voice behind Star Wars‘ legendary villain, Darth Vader. Dubbing over the physical performance of actor David Prowse, it’s Jones’ incredible, rich baritone that helped make Vader not just an intimidating physical presence, but immediately one of the most popular movie villains of all time. Jones and Vader became inseparable; he voiced the character in the three original Star Wars movies, briefly in the climax of the 2005 prequel Revenge of the Sith. Most recently he was credited for returning to the role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Rise of Skywalker on the big screen, and on the small screen in Star Wars Rebels as well as the interquel limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Recently, the actor had confirmed that he was preparing to retire from voice acting, selling the rights to his voice to the Ukrainian tech company Respeecher, which was credited with assistance on Jones’ dialogue in Obi-Wan. However the galaxy far, far away uses the character going forward, the loss of such an integral aspect to what made him an all-time icon of cinema is heartbreaking. Tributes have already begun pouring in across the internet from Jones’ Star Wars colleagues, including Mark Hamill, who simply stated “RIP, Dad.”
#RIP dad 💔 https://t.co/YXpFoBb2Ua
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) September 9, 2024
We’ll bring you more on Hollywood and the galaxy far, far away’s responses to Jones’ passing as and when we learn them.
Update: Disney has now shared its own tribute to Jones, as well as the official Star Wars account.
On behalf of all of us at The Walt Disney Company, we extend our deepest condolences to Disney Legend James Earl Jones' family and loved ones. Rest in Peace. https://t.co/If0bwtElEc pic.twitter.com/R4Kj6rFHKx
— Disney (@Disney) September 9, 2024
Thank you for everything, James.
A statement from George Lucas and Lucasfilm: https://t.co/ieEdG0k5zY pic.twitter.com/8L99EeNwuU
— Star Wars (@starwars) September 10, 2024
“James was an incredible actor, a most unique voice both in art and spirit,” said George Lucas in the tribute shared on StarWars.com. “For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being. He gave depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn. James will be missed by so many of us…friends and fans alike.”
Elsewhere in the tribute, the company itself expressed its collective feelings about the actor: “For all us at Lucasfilm, and for countless members of the audience, James Earl Jones was far more than ‘just an observer.’ He was the voice of the character at the center of our most beloved story, and he will remain in our hearts—and imaginations—forever.”
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