Darth Vader Actor David Prowse Dies At Age 85

NPR reports:

David Prowse, the British weightlifting champion and man behind the Darth Vader mask, has died. He was 85. The actor’s management company shared the news of his passing early Sunday morning on social media “with great regret and heart-wrenching sadness for us and million of fans around the world.”

Prowse wore the Darth Vader costume in the original Star Wars trilogy, while James Earl Jones provided the villain’s iconic voice. At a towering 6-foot-7 tall, the actor was originally offered a choice between the role of Vader or Chewbacca. In an interview with NPR in 2008, Prowse explained why he chose the villain.

“Well, if you think back on all the movies that you’ve ever seen where there are goodies and baddies … you always remember the baddie,” he said.

So sad to hear David Prowse has passed. He was a kind man & much more than Darth Vader. Actor-Husband-Father-Member of the Order of the British Empire-3 time British Weightlifting Champion & Safety Icon the Green Cross Code Man. He loved his fans as much as they loved him. #RIP pic.twitter.com/VbDrGu6iBz

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) November 29, 2020

Stop, Look, Listen.

RIP David Prowse AKA The Green Cross Code Man and #DarthVader pic.twitter.com/IF2NCf2oZe

— Mike Ling (@MikeLingPilot) November 29, 2020