Peter Mayhew, the actor who portrayed the iconic Star Wars character Chewbacca, has passed away at the age of 74.
His family released an official statement on his verified https://twitter.com/TheWookieeRoars/status/1124077256240967681 page on Thursday, revealing that the actor passed on April 30.
'The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home,' the statement began.'
RIP: Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, has passed away at the age of 74
Gone but not forgotten: His family released an official statement on his verified Twitter page on Thursday, revealing that the actor passed on April 30
'Peter was the man behind the mask of Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, episode 3 of the prequels and the new trilogy,' the statement continued.
'He fought his way back from being wheelchair-bound and stand tall to portray Chewbacca once more in Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' the statement said.
'He also consulted on The Last Jedi in an attempt to teach his successor,' the statement read, referring to Joonas Suotamo, the Finnish basketball player who took over as Chewbacca in The Last Jedi.
