Kenny Baker: 1934 - 2016
Sad news in the Star Wars family today. Kenny Baker, the British actor who played one of the most famous robots in all of cinema, R2-D2, passed away at the of 81.
The niece, Abigail Shield, told The Guardian of her uncle's death, “It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.”Shield added: “He had problems with his lungs and was often in a wheelchair. He was very poorly for a long time. He was asked to go out to LA for the new Star Wars premiere but he was told he was too ill to travel. Luckily he did manage to meet George Lucas again when he came to Manchester.”
Baker played R2-D2 in the first six Star Wars films and an ewok in Return of the Jedi. He also had roles in other fantastic cinema gems like Flash Gordon, Willow and Time Bandits.
Then there was this touching tweet from Mark Hamill today,
Goodbye #KennyBaker A lifelong loyal friend-I loved his optimism & determination He WAS the droid I was looking for! pic.twitter.com/rd94OEYaHi
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) August 13, 2016
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