September 10, 2024, 10:28 AM
The actor behind the iconic gravelly voice of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones, has died at the age of 93.
His agent Barry McPherson confirmed Jones passed away at his home in New York's Hudson Valley region on the morning of Sep. 9.
The cause of death has yet to be established.
Veteran actor with an EGOT
Jones collected several accolades throughout his career, including two Tony Awards, a Grammy, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
He was also given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement.
Jones became a pioneer in his generation as one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama in 1965 and the second Black man nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1971.
After news of Jones's death broke, Mark Hamill tweeted "RIP Dad" with a broken heart emoji.
#RIP dad 💔 https://t.co/YXpFoBb2Ua
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) September 9, 2024
Hamill played the role of Luke Skywalker, the protagonist in the "Star Wars" original trilogy and Darth Vader's son.
Apart from being the voice behind "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader, Jones was known for being the voice of Mufasa in "The Lion King", as well as acting in films such as "Field of Dreams" and "Coming To America".
He also voiced American news network CNN's introduction "This is CNN".
Top image via TMDB and Disney
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