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James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93

American actor James Earl Jones, best known for being the voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has died at the age of 93.

He died early Monday morning surrounded by his family, said agent Barry McPherson.

Jones has acted in many films including Field of Dreams, Coming To America, Conan the Barbarian and The Lion King. He was best known for giving Star Wars star Darth Vader his distinctive, gravelly voice.

Mark Hamill, who played Vader’s son Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, wrote “RIP Dad” with a broken heart emoji as he shared news of the death.

In addition to his acting career, Jones was also the voice of CNN’s “This is CNN”.

During his career, he won three Tony Awards including two Emmys and a Grammy, as well as an Oscar honor in 2011 for lifetime achievement.

In 1971, he became only the second black man to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, after Sidney Poitier.

Paying tribute to Jones, American actor Colman Domingo wrote on social media: “Thank you dear James Earl Jones for everything. Master of our craft. We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best.”

Crystal Minkoff, wife of The Lion King director Rob Minkoff, wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Jones holding a statue of Mufasa: “Rest in Power, Mr Jones. He made a young animator’s dream come true when he accepted the role of Mufasa.

“Thank you for everything you did for Rob. Your memory will live on.”

Born in Mississippi in January 1931, Jones said he was unable to speak for much of his childhood because of a stutter.

He explained that he has improved his voice which he is famous for when he was preparing a way to deal with this stutter.

Jones was best known for voicing Darth Vader in the first Star Wars film, released in 1977, and the sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

He also starred in later film releases such as the first installment of the Star Wars anthology series, Rogue One, and the third installment of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – both released in the late 2010s.

A different actor would always wear a Darth Vader costume and give the moves of the famous villain, including the late David Prowsewith Jones lending his deep, fast-sounding voice.

“I love being a part of that whole legend, that whole show,” Jones said in a previous interview, adding that he was happy to oblige fans who asked for a repeat of his “I’m your father” line.

Jones said he never made much money for the Darth Vader part – just $9,000 (£6,884) for the first film – and considered it a special job.

At his insistence, he was not given credit for his work. He felt that it was all just another “special effect”.

When the films broke all box office records, he was prompted to rethink.

Jones was best known as a television actor, playing the elderly Alex Hailey in Roots: The Next Generation and winning one of his two Emmys for his lead role in the US drama Gabriel’s Fire.

His strong tones were used on The Simpsons and he appeared in early episodes of Sesame Street.

Jones also tackled many of Shakespeare’s iconic characters on stage, including Othello and King Lear.


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