Chewbacca Actor Peter Mayhew Dies at 74
May 3, 2019 6:13AM CDT
- The man known to millions of Star Wars fans as Chewbacca the Wookiee has died at the age of 74.
- Peter Mayhew passed away Tuesday in his Boyd, Texas home, his family revealed late Thursday. No cause of death was given.
- The 7-foot-3 actor played Chewbacca, Han Solo’s furry sidekick, in five Star Wars films. In addition to pioneering the role in the original trilogy, Mayhew returned for “Revenge of the Sith” in 2005 and shared the role in 2015’s “The Force Awakens.”
- In a Twitter post, Mayhew’s family said, “He put his heart and his soul into the role of Chewbacca, and it showed in every frame of the films, from his knock-kneed running, firing his bowcaster from the hip, his bright blue eyes, down to each subtle movement of his head and mouth.”