James Earl Jones is dead: Voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa passes away at 93

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First he hardly spoke at all. Then his distinctive voice made the whole of Hollywood tremble. Numerous companions bid farewell

Not only Star Wars fans loved him.James Earl Jones, the actor and voice actor with the unmistakable deep voice, has died at the ripe old age of 93 at his home in Dutchess County, New York, according to his management.

Numerous companions from film and television pay tribute to the man whose glorious career seemed impossible in his childhood days.

From stutterer to world star

James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, in 1931 and only a few years later his parents separated. This caused the young Jones to stammer until he was barely able to speak at the age of five.

His English teacher then found a solution and set his career in motion, as James Earl Jones once said in an interview with the TV station ABC:

My English teacher discovered that I no longer stuttered when I recited my own poetry. Because then I wasn’t exposed to other people’s feelings or thoughts, only my own. So I read poetry aloud and that eventually led me to the theater.

The rest is history:For the first Star Wars film in 1977, George Lucas was looking for a suitable person with a deep voice to breathe life into the character of Darth Vader. According to James Earl Jones, he may not even have been George Lucas’ first choice,as he once revealed:

George Lucas] is rumored to have first thought of [director] Orson Welles. But then he probably feared that Orson Welles might be too recognizable, so he chose a voice that was born in Mississippi and grew up in Michigan and stuttered. And that happened to be my voice.

His second legendary speaking role is that of Mufasa, the Lion King in the 1994 film of the same name and in the 3D remake from 2019. However, as things stand at present, he will probably not be heard in the upcoming prequelMufasa(cinema release: December 19, 2024).

Aside from his major roles, James Earl Jones has also appeared in dozens of films and series, includingThe Prince of Zamunda,Hunt for Red October,StargateandThe Big Bang Theory

He even briefly dipped his toes into the world of gaming.As General Solomon, he appeared in the filmed cutscenes ofCommand & Conquer: Tiberian Sun

Many companions say goodbye

Mark Hamill writes briefly and succinctly on X (formerly Twitter) in reference to his role as Luke Skywalker:Rest in peace, father.

Star Wars creator George Lucas commemorates his friend as follows:

James was an incredible actor, a unique voice, both in art and in spirit. For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret of it all is that he was a wonderful human being. He brought depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles. Among the most important roles, he was a devoted husband to the late Ceci and father to Flynn. James will be missed by so many of us…friends and fans alike.

Actress Octavia Spencer writes on Instagram:

Legendary doesn’t even begin to describe his iconic roles and his impact on cinema forever. His voice and talent will always be remembered. Love to his family, friends and countless fans in galaxies far, far away.

Despite his varied career, however, James Earl Jones scored Darth Vader by far the most often. In addition to episodes 4, 5 and 6, he also voiced the Sith Lord in the Star Wars Holiday Special, in episode 3, in the animated series Rebels, in Rogue One and finally one last time in episode 9.

We could also hear him as Darth Vader in the future Even before his death, James Earl Jones agreed to allow the Ukrainian AI company Respeecher to clone his voice and use it in new Star Wars films and series