James Earl Jones, the legendary actor who voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King, died at 93. He passed away on Monday morning, surrounded by his family at his home in Duchess County, New York, said his agent Barry McPherson.
Mark Hammil, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, posted on X, “#RIP dad” with a heart emoji upon the announcement of the news on the social media platform. While James Earl Jones’ most famous roles are that of Darth Vader and Mufasa, he is also known for his prominent roles in Field of Dreams, Conan the Barbarian, and Coming to America.
James Earl Jones’s career was nothing short of prolific. He was in the business for over 60 years, has 80 film and 70 television credits, and never retired. He even allowed Lucasfilm to recreate his voice using AI so the newer Star Wars projects could have the iconic Darth Vader voice the world has come to love.
Jones won three Tony awards and was nominated for four. In 1971, he was the second black man nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2011, he received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement. Throughout his illustrious career, he also won two Emmys and a Grammy.
James Earl Jones Tributes
Since the announcement of his passing, several actors have paid tribute to the late legend. “There will never be another of his particular combinations of graces,” Star Trek actor LeVar Burton said.
Kevin Costner, Jones’ co-star in Field of Dreams, said, “That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I’ll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams.”
Crystal Minkoff, the wife of The Lion King co-director Rob Minkoff, posted on Instagram a picture of her husband Rob and James Earl Jones holding a statue of Mufasa. Minkoff said in the post, “Rest in Power, Mr. Jones. You made a young animator’s dream come true when you accepted the role of Mufasa. Thank you for all you have done for Rob. Your memory will live on.”
James Earl Jones overcame many adversities in his life. While he may be known today as one of the most memorable voices in Hollywood, he grew up with a stammer that rendered him unable to speak for most of his childhood. He spoke several times about how he had to build his voice while working around his stammer.
In a 2012 interview with BBC HardTalk, Jones said of his role as the voice of Darth Vader, “I love being part of that whole myth, of that whole cult.” He never made much money from his role as Darth Vader and never wanted to be credited because he thought of it as just another special effect.
