Popular American actor, James Earl Jones who was renowned for giving the Star Wars supervillain Darth Vader his distinctive, gravelly voice is dead.
Jones died early on Monday morning surrounded by his family, his agent, Barry McPherson said.
He was aged 93.Jones starred in dozens of films including Field of Dreams, Coming To America, Conan the Barbarian and The Lion King.
Mark Hamill, who played Vader’s son Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, posted “RIP Dad” with a broken heart emoji as he shared a news report of the death.
Born in Mississippi in January 1931, Jones said he was unable to speak for most of his childhood because he stammered.
He explained he had developed his famous voice while working on how to deal with the stammering.
Jones was best known for voicing Darth Vader in the original Star Wars film, which came out in 1977, and sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.During his career, Jones won three Tony awards including two Emmys and a Grammy, as well as an honorary Oscar in 2011 for lifetime achievement.
In 1971, he became only the second Black man nominated for an Academy Award for best actor, after Sidney Poitier.Star Trek actor LeVar Burton was among the first to pay tribute to Jones, saying “there will never be another of his particular combinations of graces”.
Also paying tribute, US actor Colman Domingo wrote, “Thank you dear James Earl Jones for everything. A master of our craft. We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best.”
Kevin Costner, who co-starred with Jones in Field of Dreams, said, “That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I’ll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams.”
Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer wrote Jones’ “voice and talent will be remembered always” and that “legendary doesn’t even begin to describe his iconic roles and impact on cinema forever.”
Crystal Minkoff, wife of The Lion King co-director Rob Minkoff, posted a photo of Jones holding a statue of Mufasa alongside the words, “Rest in Power, Mr Jones. You made a young animator’s dream come true when you accepted the role of Mufasa.
“Thank you for all you have done for Rob. Your memory will live on.”Jones was also the voice of US broadcaster CNN’s “This is CNN” tagline.
“He was the voice of CNN and our brand for many decades, uniquely conveying through speech instant authority, grace, and decorum,” the broadcaster told the Hollywood Reporter.
“That remarkable voice is just one of many things the world will miss about James.”
Jones was also well known as a television performer, playing the older Alex Hailey in Roots, The Next Generation and winning one of his two Emmys for the lead role in the US drama Gabriel’s Fire.
His gravelly tones were used in The Simpsons and he appeared in early episodes of Sesame Street.
Jones also tackled many iconic Shakespeare characters on the stage, including Othello and King Lear.