James Earl Jones, The Voice Of Darth Vader, Has Passed Away At 93

Hollywood movie star James Earl Jones has reportedly died at the age of 93.

Jones was known for his impeccable work as the voice of Darth Vader in "Star Wars" and Mufasa in "The Lion King."

News of James Earl Jones' death has sent a shockwave across the entertainment industry, leading to an outpouring of tributes from fellow actors and fans.

News of Jones' death was confirmed by his reps at Independent Artist Group to Deadline. The actor is said to have passed away on Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York.

Throughout his illustrious career, Jones won three Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and was presented with an Honorary Academy Award.

These awards made Jones one of the few performers to have earned an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).

The late actor is popularly known for voicing the iconic "Star Wars" villain, Darth Vader, in the franchise's original trilogy. The actor also reprised the role in "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

Another iconic voice role that Jones is known for is Mufasa in "The Lion King."

Actor Mark Hamil, who starred as Luke Skywalker in the original and sequel "Star Wars" trilogy, was quick to share a heartfelt tribute to the iconic actor with a short post on X (formerly Twitter).

Hamil wrote, "#RIP Dad (broken heart emoji)." His message was in reference to the relationship their characters shared in the movie.

In another post shared on Instagram, Hamil shared a throwback photo with Jones, along with a caption praising the late actor's talent.

He said, "One of the world's finest actors whose contributions to Star Wars were immeasurable. He'll be greatly missed. #RIP dad."

The Peter Mayhew Foundation also paid tribute to Jones on X, writing, "Deeply saddened to hear that James Earl Jones has passed away. Our most heart felt sympathy to his family. Rest in Peace."

Peter Mayhew, who passed away in 2019, played Chewbacca in the "Star Wars" films.

Fans of the late star have also joined in to pay tribute, with many remembering Jones for his incredible works across various movies and TV shows.

Someone wrote on X, "Rest in peace, James Earl Jones. One of the most powerful, evocative, emotional voices in cinema history. This is the first scene that came to mind, it's one of my favorites of all time."

Another person said, "Well, that ruined my entire day. Rest in peace to the legend, and thank you for blessing us with your beautiful voice and spirit, Mr. James Earl Jones."

A third individual commented, "Generational. Transcendent. Wonderful. James Earl Jones was more than an actor. He enthralled generations with his talent & his iconic voice from Broadway to the big screen for decades. Gone from us today at age 93. And we will never see his like again."

In a short clip shared by the American Film Institute on July 10, 2009, Jones candidly discussed his famous voice-acting role as Darth Vader and revealed how he landed the part.

In the video, the actor said, "I'm simply special effects. George has recently admitted that when he hired David Prowse, he thought that was his Darth Vader. This guy who was over six foot, six and a half feet tall and fits in the uniform, a costume. With a slight Scottish accent and not a bass but more like a tenor."

Jones continued, "And it's a very effective voice, but George thought he wanted a, pardon the expression, darker voice, so he hires a guy born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan who stutters, and that's the voice, and that's me."

In his AFI interview, Jones went on to share that he was paid $7,000 for the role, which he thought was good money at the time.

He said, "I lucked out, you know, from all these so-called handicaps. I lucked out to get a job that paid me $7,000, and I thought that was good money."

Jones continued, "And I got to be a voice on a movie. It was great fun to be a part of that."

According to Variety, the actor turned down a screen credit for "Star Wars: A New Hope" and its sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back," out of respect for David Prowse, who played Darth Vader on screen.

Rest in peace, James Earl Jones.