Earlier this evening the family of Peter Mayhew announced his passing away at the age of 74 through his official twitter account.
It has been no secret that he had been suffering with health issues in recent years but his passing still comes as a shock.
He was a true beacon of light in the Star Wars fandom, regularly attending conventions and sharing his memories of the filming of the films.
Peter played the character of Chewbacca in all three films in the Original Trilogy, he reprised the role for ‘Revenge of the Sith’ and returned to the Galaxy Far, Far Away to play the character in a few scenes in ‘The Force Awakens’, as well as acting as a consultant on the character for his appearance in ‘The Clone Wars’.
His passing leaves the world a little darker but the Force is shining brighter. Rest in Peace sir and my the Force be with you, always.