Actor Peter Mayhew has died at the age of 74 due to a heart condition. Mayhew is best known for his role as Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy.
TMZ reports that Mayhew passed away surrounded by his friends and family in his North Texas home. Here’s a statement from Mayhew’s family via Twitter:
The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home. pic.twitter.com/YZ5VLyuK0u
— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 2, 2019
On top of portraying Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, Peter Mayhew also returned for Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Joonas Suotamo took over the role for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. From the statement above, here’s what Mayhew’s family had to say regarding the late actor’s iconic role:
“He put his heart and soul into the role of Chewbacca and it showed in every frame of the films from his knock kneed running, firing his bowcaster from the hip, his birght blue eyes, down to each subtle movement of his head and mouth. But, to him, the Star Wars family meant so much more to him than a role in a film.”
Star Wars fans can attest to that as Peter Mayhew was beloved not only because of the role he played in the films but how he treated people in general. He became involved with many charities from Wounded Warriors to Make-A-Wish and even started his own foundation to give back to the world (the Peter Mayhew Foundation). Just an all-around fantastic human being who truly cared about making the world a better place.
Peter Mayhew is survived by his wife Angie and his 3 children. A private memorial reserved for friends and family will be held June 29th and there will be another memorial service in December for fans who want to pay their respects.
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