James Earl Jones has died at the age of 93. The legendary actor is best known for voicing Star Wars' Darth Vader and Mufasa in The Lion King, as well as numerous other notable roles. Jones was born on January 17, 1931, and got his start in television and on the stage. His first movie role came in 1964's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. From that point on, he became a prominent fixture in Hollywood, with his final onscreen role coming in 2021's Coming 2 America.

Per Deadline, Jones died on the morning of September 9. His representatives confirmed the news. A cause of death was not provided at the time of publication, but it was confirmed he ed at his home in Duchess County, New York. Tributes have begun pouring in across the internet, including one from Mark Hamill, who played Jones' onscreen son in the original Star Wars movies. Fittingly, Hamill simply wrote, "#RIP dad."

James Earl Jones Had A Remarkable Career

He Created Multiple Iconic Characters And Achieved EGOT Status

Jones' impressive career spanned over six decades and saw him become one of the few performers to achieve EGOT status, which means he won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. Some of his most prominent credits include Field of Dreams, The Sandlot, The Hunt for Red October, and The Great White Hope, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. His final onscreen role in Coming 2 America saw him reprise the role he played in the 1988 original, King Jaffe Joffer.

One of the most distinctive parts of Jones' screen presence came from his deep, resonant voice, which he used to create one of the most famous movie villains of all time. While the late David Prowse inhabited the Darth Vader suit, Jones voiced the Star Wars antagonist in the original films and turned the Sith Lord into a striking character who would become the face of the franchise alongside its heroes. Jones returned for additional Star Wars projects over the years, including in 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Though Jones' voice was used for the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022, Respeecher software was used to recreate it. The actor signed a deal with Disney to allow the studio to use his voice for future projects, and he formally retired from the role later that year.

Jones also voiced Mufasa, the noble father to young Simba, in Disney's The Lion King. He notably returned to play the character once again in the studio's 2019 live-action remake, making him the only original cast member to do so. Mufasa continues to be a legendary figure within the Disney canon, as the studio will release a prequel movie, Mufasa: The Lion King, centered on his origins this December. It is likely the film will be dedicated to Jones' memory.

In bringing such vivid characters to life, both in person and through his voice alone, Jones has become a part of film history, and his memory will live on through the projects he shared with the world. Even beyond Hollywood, Jones has a Broadway theater named after him, further demonstrating the impact he had on every area he worked in. He will certainly be missed by many.

Source: Deadline