James Earl Jones, the American actor best known for being the voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, died on Monday.
He was 93 years old.
His agent, Barry McPherson said, told media that he died on early Monday morning surrounded by family.
Jones’ on-screen credits include Field of Dreams, Coming To America, Conan the Barbarian, The Lion King and, of course, Star Wars.
Mark Hamill, who plays Vader’s son, Luke Skywalker, in Star Wars, wrote “RIP Dad” with a broken heart emoji as he shared a report of the death.
Meanwhile, US actor Colman Domingo wrote: “Thank you dear James Earl Jones for everything. A master of our craft. We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best.”
Kevin Costner, who played a role 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.”
And Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer wrote Jones’ “voice and talent will be remembered always”.
Jones was born in January 1931 in Mississippi. And while he became famous for his deep, gravelly voice, when he was young he could hardly speak without stammering. It was in fact when he began to try to deal with it, that he got his melodious voice.