Some sad news to report today. Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy has died at the age of 74.
According to the reports, he passed away inside his North Texas home surrounded by family. His family went on his Twitter account to share the sad news with his followers…
The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home. pic.twitter.com/YZ5VLyuK0u
— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 2, 2019
There was no official cause of death released, but his family told ABC News he suffered from a heart attack. He had also been trying to recover from spinal surgery. No word on if that played a role.
Two separate memorials will take place. One for his family and friends in June, and then one for his fans at Empire Con LA in December.
Born on May 19, 1944, Peter Mayhew kicked off his film career when he was cast in the uncredited role of Minoton in 1977’s Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. Shortly thereafter, George Lucas discovered Mayhew and felt he was the perfect height to play Chewbacca in the first Star Wars movie, a.k.a. A New Hope.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.
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