The news of James Earl Jones' passing has reverberated through Hollywood and fan communities alike, leaving many in deep mourning.
The legendary voice behind iconic characters like Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King died on Monday, Sept. 9, at the age of 93 in his home in Dutchess County, NY.
An EGOT winner and a towering figure in entertainment, Jones' impact on film, television, and theater was profound.
Tributes flooded in from celebrities and fans, honoring his extraordinary career and influence.
Mark Hamill, renowned for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star wars saga, paid tribute to Jones, who famously voiced Darth Vader—Luke’s father in the series. Hamill's message carried a mix of heartbreak and humor, reflecting their iconic connection as father and son on-screen, as he tweeted, '#RIP dad'
The news of James Earl Jones' passing has reverberated through Hollywood and fan communities alike, leaving many in deep mourning; (pictured 2017)
Mark Hamill, renowned for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star wars saga, paid tribute to Jones, who famously voiced Darth Vader—Luke’s father in the series; (pictured Sunday)
Kevin Costner, Jones’ Field of Dreams co-star, penned a tribute on Instagram, writing: 'That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I’ll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams.
'If you’ve seen it, you know that this movie wouldn’t be the same with anyone else in his role. Only he could bring that kind of magic to a movie about baseball and a corn field in Iowa. I’m grateful to have been a witness to him making that magic happen. Rest in peace, friend.'
Octavia Spencer shared that Jones’ 'voice and talent will be remembered always' and that 'legendary doesn’t even begin to describe his iconic roles and impact on cinema forever.'
Colman Domingo tweeted a throwback photo of Jones with a note that the legend was 'a master of our craft. We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best.'
Actor LeVar Burton posted, 'James Earl Jones… there will never be another of his particular combination of graces.'
'From the gentle wisdom of Mufasa to the menacing threat of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones gave voice to some of the greatest characters in cinema history,' said Bob Iger, chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, in a statement.
'A celebrated stage actor with nearly 200 film and television credits to his name, the stories he brought to life with a uniquely commanding presence and a true richness of spirit have left an indelible mark on generations of audiences.'
Actor Josh Gad wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of himself posing with Jones, 'Shattered. There are icons and then there is this man. How do you remember someone who gave us some of the greatest stage and screen performances of all time? For so many of us, you defined our childhoods from Star Wars to Lion King, from Field of Dreams to The Sandlot, from Coming to America to Dr. Strangelove.
Hamill's message carried a mix of heartbreak and humor, reflecting their iconic connection as father and son on-screen, as he tweeted, '#RIP dad'
Jones never appears on screen when playing his most famous role, Darth Vader, as it was the former bodybuilder David Prowse who wore the iconic black suit
Jones was handpicked by Star Wars creator George Lucas to provide Darth Vader’s chilling voice
'Thank you James for giving your life to art and filling our lifetimes with some of the best performances of any resume ever. It was an honor to know you and and an even bigger honor to get perform in a theater with your namesake.'
Director Paul Feig remembered Jones on X, writing: 'James Earl Jones will never die. His talent, work and influence will be with us always. RIP, Mr. Jones.'
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais, who had a role in Coming to America alongside Jones, shared on her IG: Words cannot express how sad this makes me! thank you for gracing us with your talent and your spirit! It was a pleasure to work and know you, restinpower'
Jones made his screen debut as a bombardier in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 black-comedy masterpiece Dr. Strangelove.
While he continued to develop his film career over the following decades, the Tony-winning actor maintained a regular presence on stage as well.
He never appears on screen when playing his most famous role, Darth Vader, as it was the former bodybuilder David Prowse who wore the iconic black suit.
Jones was handpicked by Star Wars creator George Lucas to provide Darth Vader’s chilling voice.
Jones once recalled, ''He thought about using Orson Welles but realized he might be too recognizable, so he hired me to do the voice, by just reading the words off the page. I did it in a couple of hours.'
Despite his pivotal role, Jones earned just $7,000 for his work on the first Star Wars film.
However, he later shared that a series of commercials that followed more than compensated him, saying, 'They took good care of me.'
Initially, Jones didn't even want to be credited for his work, believing his voiceover contributions were merely part of the movie's special effects.
Eventually, he agreed, and his unmistakable voice went on to define Darth Vader across multiple films, television series, and video games.
Tributes flooded in from celebrities and fans, honoring his extraordinary career and influence
'I wanted to make Darth Vader more interesting, more subtle, more psychologically oriented,' Jones once said. 'He (Lucas) said, "No, no … you’ve got to keep his voice on a very narrow band of inflection, ‘cause he ain’t human."'
Darth Vader's intense duel with Luke Skywalker in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back became one of the most pivotal and dramatic moments in the Star Wars saga.
It was highlighted by Jones’ iconic delivery of one of the most famous lines in cinematic history: 'No, I am your father!'
Jones was also widely recognized on television as 'the voice of CNN,' delivering the iconic line, 'This is CNN.'
'We are deeply saddened to hear of James’ passing,' a CNN spokesperson said in a statement.
'He was the voice of CNN and our brand for many decades, uniquely conveying through speech instant authority, grace, and decorum.
'That remarkable voice is just one of many things the world will miss about James. Our thoughts are with his family.'
Rob Minkoff, director of The Lion King, shared with DailyMail.com exclusively that he had just learned of James Earl Jones' passing from his friend and the film's producer, Donald Paul Hahn.
Minkoff said, "It was just such an honor to really work with him on Lion King. It was incredible that he agreed to the movie, and he was perfect for it. He created this indelible character that has lived on.
'One of the interesting things that people ask me is , 'What was the inspiration for Lion King?” Actually, one of the big inspirations for it was Star Wars. So the fact that he was in Star Wars, there was a real connection.
'He played the ultimate villain in that movie and in our movie, he played the ultimate hero. It was one of the things that made that film so memorable and different from many other Disney movies.'
Jones was handpicked by Star Wars creator George Lucas (pictured 2006) to provide Darth Vader’s chilling voice
Rob Minkoff, director of The Lion King, shared with DailyMail.com exclusively that ', "It was just such an honor to really work with him on Lion King. It was incredible that he agreed to the movie, and he was perfect for it. He created this indelible character that has lived on.'
Minkoff told DailyMail.com that he will always remember his friend’s warmth and great sense of humor.
'He loved to laugh, and his laugh and his voice were obviously so incredible. You know, I remember when we had a test screening of [Lion King] very early on before the movie was released and we invited him to see it. It was such a meaningful thing to have his reaction to the film.
'One of the things he pointed out were different inspirations for the film, and he really understood and recognized what they all meant. It was his sensitivity, was so incredible.'
When asked about Jones’ legacy, Minkoff said, ‘He really moved the needle. Obviously, things have changes so dramatically in the country and in the world, especially with regard to race and equality, and I think that he was really a leader in the transformation of the culture.'
Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi and from the age of five was raised by his maternal grandparents on their farm in Dublin, Michigan.
In a 2010 interview Jones said that although he was born in Mississippi, his family moved when he was five years old to a Michigan farm, which played havoc with his sinuses - and his speech development.
The family upheaval that included his maternal grandparents and his mother (his father was out of the picture before he was born) and 13 cousins was understandably traumatizing.
'I had an Uncle Randy... who was my brother really. I was the youngest grandchild and he was the youngest child and only four years older than me. Randy stuttered while we lived in Mississippi and I feel that I mocked him,' he says. 'I used to imitate him. I don't know whether I was imitating him to keep him company or to embarrass him. And then I ended up stuttering myself. I feel I was cursed.'
'As a small child, I would communicate to my family, or at least those who didn't mind being embarrassed by my stutter or my being embarrassed. I did communicate with the animals quite freely, but then that's calling the hogs, the cows, the chickens. They don't care how you sound, they just want to hear your voice.'
He was taught by English teacher, and poet, Donald Crouch, whom he calls 'the father of my voice'. He was a contemporary of Robert Frost, and memorised a poem every day in case he ever went blind so he might have poems he could read in his head.
His teacher argued that if Jones wanted to be 'involved with words' he would have to be able to say them and read to the class and work on the stuttering problem.
Jones is seen in his final onscreen role as King Jaffe Joffer in 2021's Coming 2 America
Jones is seen accepting the Life Achievement award during the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2009
'And he got me engaged in the debating class, the dramatic reading class and so on. He got me talking, and reading poetry - Edgar Allan Poe was my favourite.'
'He said, 'You have gone from having the voice of a child when you last spoke, to a voice of an adult when you resumed speaking. Don't be impressed. It's easy for you to start listening to yourself. If you do, nobody else will.'
'And what he meant was that if you become so conscious about it you become too busy making all those deep S-O-U-N-D-S,' and he lets the word echo in his booming voice.
Jones went on to study drama at Michigan University, by which time, he says, he had got a grip on his stutter.
'I've learned that sometimes the synapses in your brain trip up, like stumbling on a sidewalk.'
Certain consonants, he said, set off a stutter (such as M) so he avoided them.
Jones remained humble on the appeal of his iconic voice, saying: 'I don't know, because I don't listen to my own voice. Any human being does not hear their own voice as others hear it. We hear our voices through our cranium and it is a different sound.'
Initially, he studied to become a doctor, and though he shifted his major to drama, and graduated from the University of Michigan, he didn't initially think about an acting career.
"Even when I began acting studies, I thought about being a soldier," Jones told PBS public television in 1998.
"And the idea of being an actor didn't occur to me until after my service was almost finished."
After university, Jones served in the US Army and then moved to New York to try his luck in acting, working as a janitor at night to make ends meet.
He made his Broadway debut in 1958 in Sunrise at Campobello at the Cort Theatre -- which in 2022 was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre.
During the early to mid 1960s, Jones became one of the most in-demand Shakespearean actors of the time - starring in Othello, King Lear, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Abhorson in Measure for Measure, and Claudius in Hamlet.
In 1974, Jones starred with Diahann Carroll in the film Claudine which won him another Golden Globe nomination.
Jones is pictured in 1968 getting ready for his performance in The Great White Hope on Broadway
He starred with Cicely Tyson in The Gin Game in 2015 on Broadway
Even into his 80s, Jones was a force on Broadway, starring opposite Angela Lansbury in The Best Man in a 2012 revival - earning another Tony nomination in the process - and with Cicely Tyson in The Gin Game in 2015.
And for years, he greeted viewers of the cable news network CNN with the simple phrase: 'This is CNN.'
In a statement, CNN said that Jones 'was the voice of CNN and our brand for many decades, uniquely conveying through speech instant authority, grace, and decorum. That remarkable voice is just one of many things the world will miss about James. '
Jones' final onscreen role was as King Jaffe Joffer in 2021's Coming 2 America.
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