Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk mourned the loss of Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars films.
“Ahhhhhhrrerge RIP Peter Mayhew. 😫 You played my favorite sci-fi character of all time. #petermayhew #chewie.”
CBS News reported:
Mayhew rarely played other roles. He attended many “Star Wars” conventions over the years and wrote two books, “Growing Up Giant” and “My Favorite Giant.”
In September 2013, he had double knee-replacement surgery. In July 2018, Mayhew had spinal surgery to try to improve his mobility. He tweeted that the operation was a success.
Mayhew was born on May 19, 1944, in Barnes, Surrey, but became a U.S. citizen in 2005 in Arlington, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Angie, and three children.
The Guardian reported:
The actor Peter Mayhew, who has died of a heart attack aged 74, carved out a place for himself in movie history when he played Chewbacca, Han Solo’s furry sidekick, in the Star Wars films. The 200-year-old Wookiee warrior, smuggler and resistance fighter, known affectionately as “Chewie”, was Han’s co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon starship, fighting the Galactic Empire.
Lovable and loyal, with super-human strength and bravery, Chewbacca served as the conscience of Han, played by Harrison Ford, but Mayhew had no need to learn lines for the role because the Star Wars sound designer, Ben Burtt, voiced him with a mix of animal growls sourced from walruses, bears, tigers, camels and badgers. The 7ft 3in actor, his face concealed by a mask and wearing a mohair and yak hair costume, simply gave grunts and shrieks as cues to his fellow cast members. However, before filming, Mayhew had studied how gorillas moved, and he brought a distinctive knock-kneed gait to the role that endeared his character to audiences.
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