These are always the worse articles to write, and by far my least favorite to do.
James Earl Jones has passed away at the age of 93. According to Deadline, the actor passed away Monday morning in his home.
There was a time when people didn't know of Jones' contribution to a galaxy far, far away. He wasn't originally credited as the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars in 1977. In fact, he had asked not to be credited, explaining in a 2008 interview:
"When Linda Blair did the girl in The Exorcist, they hired Mercedes McCambridge to do the voice of the devil coming out of her. And there was controversy as to whether Mercedes should get credit. I was one who thought no, she was just special effects. So when it came to Darth Vader, I said, no, I'm just special effects. But it became so identified that by the third one, I thought, OK I'll let them put my name on it."James Earl Jones
I'm glad that it changed and he allowed to put his voice on the credits. Jones's voice is one of the most iconic in the world, part of the reason he is one of the few actors to have an EGOT, meaning he's received at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
It's hard to put into simple words what Jones means to people and means to me. There are so few characters, few people, and few actors who capture the cultural zeitgeist, and James Earl Jones did it repeatedly. Not just with Darth Vader, but with Mufasa in The Lion King which defined so many of our childhoods. That wasn't his only kingly role, making us laugh as King Jaffe Joffer in Coming to America. Who didn't tear up watching him in Field of Dreams? Even in cameos where he was playing himself were to be cherished like his multiple times on Sesame Street with his friends Big Bird and Elmo. Or when he met Sheldon Cooper in a restaurant in The Big Bang Theory, Jones joyfully declared for all to hear, "I LOVE STAR WARS TOO!"
James Earl Jones will be missed so much. His work not just in Star Wars but across multiple franchises will continue to inspire new fans for generations to come.