Peter Mayhew, who portrayed Chewbacca in every Star Wars movie appearance from A New Hope to The Force Awakens, has passed away at the age of 74.
Born May 1944 in England, Mayhew grew to over 7 feet tall, which landed him his first acting gig at age 33 in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. That movie whose box office success could be described as mild, was utterly infinitesimal to Mahew’s other release that year: the original Star Wars. Despite never seeing his face, Mayhew and Chewbacca became synonymous with Force devotees, as he was among the most approachable and accepting of the fandom lifestyle between his co-stars. Mayhew appeared as Chewie in all three original trilogy movies, Revenge of the Sith, and even the legendary Star Wars Holiday Special. His final appearance as the galax’s favorite Wookiee was The Force Awakens, a role he shared with Joonas Suotamo, who’s taken over The Last Jedi onward.
Mayhew’s family announced his passing in a heartfelt tweet and letter:
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
