As expected, the sad death of James Earl Jones led to an immediate outpouring of love and tributes across social media, with both fans and peers of the actor sharing their thoughts and sorrow at the loss of a true Hollywood great. Among the first to pay tribute was Jones’ Star Wars co-star, Mark Hamill , who famously played Luke Skywalker alongside Jones-voiced Darth Vader. His simple, heartwrenching post could not have been more perfectly fitting.
Jones passes away at the age of 93, one of the greatest and most groundbreaking actors of not only his, but any generation. It is therefore not surprising that so many people wanted to express their loss online, both celebrating the life and career of Jones, and noting how he was an actor who is irreplaceable.
While Jones had a career that spanned almost seven decades, it was his role as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars that he will always be first remembered for. One of the greatest movie villains of all time would not have been such a menacing presence in the Star Wars Saga if not for Jones’ deep, dominating tone booming out from behind the mask. Jones officially retired from the role of Vader in 2022, with the actor allowing his voice to be recreated by Lucasfilm and Respeecher for scenes in Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is likely that this technology, which uses AI trained on old recordings of Jones’ voice, will also be used for any future appearances of the character, because many have noted, there is only one Darth Vader.
James Earl Jones’ Voice Was an Incredible Gift
Although there is no one who will question that James Earl Jones was one of the world’s greatest actors, with credits stretching from Broadway to Netflix, drama to comedy, and across several generations, his voice was one of his finest assets. Despite having almost 200 acting credits to his name, his voice role as Darth Vader was matched in pop culture by another vocal performance; as Mufasa in The Lion King.
While several other movies, such as his early works like The Great White Hope through to Field of Dreams, The Sandlot, and his final role in Coming 2 America, all have been mentioned in tributes, one that keeps coming back his wise, fatherly role in Disney’s The Lion King. This even included a tribute from NASA, who reminded everyone to spend a little time looking to the stars for guidance.
From Rob Minkoff, co-director of The Lion King, to actress Octavia Spencer, many stars to have either worked with or been inspired by Jones’ trailblazing career in Hollywood shared their own thoughts and feelings. Minkoff called Jones “a powerful man and actor” who was “gone but never forgotten.” The Wire’s Wendell Pierce praised him as “living embodiment of artistry, integrity, creativity, and dignity” as well as the reason he became an actor. Colman Domingo echoed this sentiment, saying that Jones was “a master of our craft.” You can see these posts below as a fitting reminder of the loss the actor’s death has brought to Hollywood.
