Summary
James Earl Joneshas died. The legendary actor, widely known as the voice of Darth Vader from manyStar Warsmovies, shows, and video games, was 93.
Jones has been effectively retired from show business since the early 2020s. His last film role was that of King Jaffe Joffer in the 2021Eddie Murphy-starring comedyComing 2 America.
The legendary actor passed away at 93 years of age in the morning hours ET on September 9, The Associated Pressreports, citing a confirmation from Jones’s agent, Barry McPherson. The actor is understood to have died at his home in Dutchess County, New York. The cause of his death has not been disclosed.
While best known for hisiconic voice performance as Darth Vader, Jones was also an extremely accomplished actor beyond theStar Warsuniverse, boasting a career spanning seven decades. His legendary status is reflected in the fact that he is one of only 27 people who have collected the elusive EGOT, winning at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award over the course of their careers. Jones completed his EGOT in 2011, when he was presented a Lifetime Achievement award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The rest of his EGOT accolades were all in competitive categories and include two Tony and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Jones gave his final voice performance as Darth Vader in the 2019 blockbusterStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He announced that he was relinquishing his most iconic voice role three years later. On that occasion, he signed the rights to his voice toUkraine-based AI company Respeecher, with the goal of keeping the character alive even after he’s gone.
Respeecher’s voice cloning tech is what later allowed Disney to recreateDarth Vader’s voice in theObi-Wan Kenobishow even without James Earl Jones. More similar initiatives that will keep adding to the actor’s massive legacy are likely only a matter of time.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise originally created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd with the 1977 motion picture. The science fiction franchise follows the adventures of characters (both humanoid and alien) in outer space including those who can wield a mystical power known as the Force. Since the release of the original trilogy of movies, the franchise has expanded to include multiple films and branched out to other media like comics, video games, tv shows, theme park attractions, and more. The IP and Lucasfilm were sold to Disney in 2012.
