The original Darth Vader is no more. Yes, the actor who played the Star Wars trilogy, David Prowse, has passed away at the age of 85. Prowse representative Thomas Bowington issued an official statement following the actor’s death.
Bowington noted that the actor was celebrated for playing monsters on-screen while he was a hero in his real life. He further said that it was a heart-wrenching loss for his family and millions of followers across the globe.
Prowse worked in a popular franchise of James Bond's Casino Royale, in which he portrayed Frankenstein's Creature in 1978. He portrayed the same character two times more in his career before, Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell released in 1974 and Horror of Frankenstein released in 1970.
The late actor also worked in movies such as Doctor Who, Space 1999, and The Saint. However, the actor auditioned for two roles in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope for Chewbacca and Darth Vader.
The actor was approached by the director George Lucas to audition for both the roles following his portrayal in Clockwork Orange as a bodyguard in 1971. However, the actor chose to portray Vader's character, which was voiced by James Earl Jones.
Since the tragic news broke, all the celebrities from the entertainment industry mourned his death on social media. Mark Hamill, who is popular for portraying Luke Skywalker's character in the Star Wars film series, took Twitter to share his sadness.
The 69-year-old actor said that Prowse was more than Darth Vader. He noted that the late actor was a kind person, father, husband, three-time British Weightlifting Champion, Member of the Order of the British Empire, and Safety Icon the Green Cross Code Man.
He concluded the tweet by revealing that the actor loved his fans. Canadian actor William Shatner, who is popular for his work in the Star Trek franchise as Captain James T. Kirk's character, also tweeted that he was a "literal giant". At the same time, he played many characters in his professional life.
"His most famous role was being the misunderstood father who tried to give the universe to his very disobedient twins," he added. While many other fans and celebrities quoted the popular line "may the force be with you," many other popular names shared their personal stories attached to the late actor. Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, and Daniel Logan also tweeted to mourn the death of the legendary actor.