Peter Mayhew dead: Harrison Ford and George Lucas lead tributes after Chewbacca star dies aged 74
Harrison Ford called the actor 'a kind and gentle man, possessed of great dignity and noble character'
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Your support makes all the difference.Tributes are flooding in for the actor Peter Mayhew, best known for his role as Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series, who has died aged 74.
“The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away,” a tweet posted on the actor’s Twitter page read on Thursday afternoon. “He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home.”
Mayhew was over seven feet tall. He first appeared as the loveable Wookiee in George Lucas's original Star Wars film in 1977, going on to reprise the role in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens.
He passed the role over to Joonas Suotamo who played Chewie in Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Last Jedi and the forthcoming The Rise of Skywalker.
Harrison Ford paid moving tribute to Mayhew in a statement to Variety, where he called the actor "a kind and gentle man, possessed of great dignity and noble character".
“These aspects of his own personality, plus his wit and grace, he brought to Chewbacca," he said. "We were partners in film and friends in life for over 30 years and I loved him. He invested his soul in the character and brought great pleasure to the Star Wars audience.
“Chewbacca was an important part of the success of the films we made together. He knew how important the fans of the franchise were to it’s continued success and he was devoted to them. I and millions of others will never forget Peter and what he gave us all. My thoughts are with his dear wife Angie and his children. Rest easy, my dear friend.”
“Peter was a wonderful man,” Star Wars creator and Lucasfilm founder George Lucas said. “He was the closest any human being could be to a Wookiee: big heart, gentle nature … and I learned to always let him win. He was a good friend and I’m saddened by his passing.”
Mark Hamill, who has played Luke Skywalker in nearly every Star Wars film, called Mayhew was “a big man with an even bigger heart who never failed to make me smile”.
Mayhew also left behind a legacy that includes the Peter Mayhew Foundation, which focuses on providing aid and resources to families in crisis.
The actor was most recently working to provide help for families impacted by the economic crisis in Venezuela.
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