By Towncriernews
American actor James Earl Jones, best known for being the voices of the Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has died aged 93.
Towncriernews gathered from his agent, Barry McPherson that Jones died early on Monday morning surrounded by his family.
Jones starred in dozens of films including Field of Dreams, Coming To America, Conan the Barbarian and The Lion King. He was best known for giving the Star Wars supervillain Darth Vader his distinctive, gravelly voice.
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.
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.”
One of the most famous voices of all time has gone silent.
James Earl Jones, whose prodigious acting talent was often overshadowed by his distinctive baritone over a seven-decade career both onstage and on the screen, died Monday, his representative said. He was 93.
A contemporary of Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, Jones didn’t land the same coveted leading roles at a time when there were few to go around for Black actors in Hollywood, but he earned unmatched longevity as a character actor, from his first movie credit in 1964’s “Dr. Strangelove” to his reprisal of his role as King Joffer in the 2021 sequel to “Coming to America.”
“James Earl Jones doesn’t get enough credit for being a path-blazer for actors like Denzel Washington who came after him,” said Rae Dawn Chong, his co-star in the 1986 comedy “Soul Man.”
“Different actor always donned the Darth Vader costume and provided the movement for the famous villain, including the late David Prowse, with Jones lending his deep and instantly recognisable voice.
“I love being part of that whole myth, of that whole cult,” Jones said in a previous interview, adding he was glad to oblige fans who asked for a command recital of his “I am your father” line.
Jones said he never made much money off the Darth Vader part – only $9,000 (£6,884) for the first film – and he considered it merely a special effects job.At his own insistence, he was not given a credit for his performance. He felt it was all merely another “special effect”.
When the films broke all box office records, he was persuaded to rethink.
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. BBC