Star Wars' Mark Hamill pays tribute to 'father' James Earl Jones, dead at 93

Tributes are arriving for the legendary actor James Earl Jones, who passed away at the age of 93.

The actor enjoyed many years in front of the camera but also provided the voice of screen classic characters such as Star Wars’ Darth Vader and The Lion King’s Mufasa.

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Many will have grown up hearing the baritone voice of Jones particularly delivering the crucial line about being the father of Luke Skywalker at the close of Empire Strikes Back.

Luke Skywalker actor, Mark Hamill has paid tribute to Jones saying, “One of the world’s finest actors whose contributions to Star Wars were immeasurable. He’ll be greatly missed. #RIP dad”

James Earl Jones played the voice of Darth Vader for decades and opted into an agreement with Disney that the studio could use AI to recreate his voice.

He hung up his cloak around 40 years ago wanting to retire after making the villain one of the most iconic in film history.

As part of the agreement to use his voice through AI, Jones ensured that royalties would be paid to his family and the character of Darth Vader would carry on.

No cause of death has been given as yet, however, the actor had been dealing with illness as he aged.

Hearing the news that Jones had passed was one of those moments where it didn’t feel real. Some stars have that feeling of immortality, especially if they’ve been in the limelight for so many years.

Growing up with Star Wars, that voice has always been with me, but my favourite performance of Jones was in Coming to America, where he carried genius comedic timing, finely balancing a serious head with a passionate heart.

An actor who seemed larger than life, his absence from the film industry will be missed dearly.