Stars of the screen on Monday were mourning the death of James Earl Jones, the voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, at the age of 93.
Jones, who also voiced King Mufasa in Disney’s animated feature The Lion King, had a prolific and varied career. Over six decades he worked with some of the greatest figures in cinema and theater, including Stanley Kubrick in his 1964 Cold War satire Dr Strangelove.
He also had roles in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Conan The Barbarian and the 1989 Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams, but it was for his role as one of cinema’s most famous villains that he became most widely known.
Photo: Reuters
While Darth Vader’s immense physicality was the result of the towering British actor David Prowse, the sinister voice that appeared to emanate from inside the reconstructed man-in-a-mask was that of Jones. And it was Jones who gave the Star Wars franchise some of its most memorable lines, including when he reveals to Luke Skywalker — played by Mark Hamill — “I am your father.”
Hamill took to social media on Monday to share news of Jones’ death, writing simply: “#RIP dad” with a broken heart emoji.
Rustin star Colman Domingo wrote on social media that Jones was “a master of our craft.”
“We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best,” he wrote.
Lydia Cornell, whose 1982 debut Bloodtide was opposite Jones, wrote: “Oh no!! I can’t believe it!! I thought he was going to live forever.”
“Adored working with him. Such a generous spirit, and so humble. Taught me the power of stillness and using my voice,” she wrote.
Selma director Ava DuVernay posted images of Jones, accompanied by a heartfelt message.
“Thank you for showing us ourselves. Our complicated selves, our dignified selves, our smiles, our pain. A job well done. A gift beautifully shared. Bless you as you journey on,” she wrote.
Alongside a clip of Jones’ 1974 film Claudine she urged fans to seek it out if they have never seen it.
“Mr. Jones crying in a scene of this film is one of the most exquisite cinematic images of a Black man I’ve ever seen. Don’t miss it. He gave us so much,” she wrote.
The Help star Octavia Spencer posted a black-and-white photograph of Jones, alongside a tribute that nodded to his indelible role in Star Wars.
“Legendary doesn’t even begin to describe his iconic roles and impact on cinema forever,” Spencer wrote. “His voice and talent will be remembered always. Sending love to his family, friends and countless fans in all the galaxies, far, far away.”
POLITICAL PRISONERS VS DEPORTEES: Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office slammed the call by El Salvador’s leader, accusing him of crimes against humanity Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Sunday proposed carrying out a prisoner swap with Venezuela, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the US his government has kept imprisoned for what he called “political prisoners” in Venezuela. In a post on X, directed at Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Bukele listed off a number of family members of high-level opposition figures in Venezuela, journalists and activists detained during the South American government’s electoral crackdown last year. “The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud,” he wrote to Maduro. “However, I want to propose a humanitarian agreement that
ECONOMIC WORRIES: The ruling PAP faces voters amid concerns that the city-state faces the possibility of a recession and job losses amid Washington’s tariffs Singapore yesterday finalized contestants for its general election on Saturday next week, with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) fielding 32 new candidates in the biggest refresh of the party that has ruled the city-state since independence in 1965. The move follows a pledge by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財), who took office last year and assumed the PAP leadership, to “bring in new blood, new ideas and new energy” to steer the country of 6 million people. His latest shake-up beats that of predecessors Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) and Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟), who replaced 24 and 11 politicians respectively
Young women standing idly around a park in Tokyo’s west suggest that a giant statue of Godzilla is not the only attraction for a record number of foreign tourists. Their faces lit by the cold glow of their phones, the women lining Okubo Park are evidence that sex tourism has developed as a dark flipside to the bustling Kabukicho nightlife district. Increasing numbers of foreign men are flocking to the area after seeing videos on social media. One of the women said that the area near Kabukicho, where Godzilla rumbles and belches smoke atop a cinema, has become a “real
‘POINT OF NO RETURN’: The Caribbean nation needs increased international funding and support for a multinational force to help police tackle expanding gang violence The top UN official in Haiti on Monday sounded an alarm to the UN Security Council that escalating gang violence is liable to lead the Caribbean nation to “a point of no return.” Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti Maria Isabel Salvador said that “Haiti could face total chaos” without increased funding and support for the operation of the Kenya-led multinational force helping Haiti’s police to tackle the gangs’ expanding violence into areas beyond the capital, Port-Au-Prince. Most recently, gangs seized the city of Mirebalais in central Haiti, and during the attack more than 500 prisoners were freed, she said.
RSS