James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, passes away: Farewell to a Hollywood star

American actor James Earl Jones, known for voicing the Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has passed away at the age of 93.

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Barry McPherson, the representative for James Earl Jones, who provided the voice for Darth Vader, announced in a statement to the press that the famous actor passed away early Monday morning surrounded by his family.

Jones appeared in dozens of films, including Field of Dreams, Coming to America, Conan the Barbarian, and The Lion King. Jones was best known for lending his distinctive, booming voice to the Star Wars supervillain Darth Vader.

Actor Mark Hamill, who played Vader's son Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, shared the news of his death on his X account, writing 'RIP Dad' with a broken heart emoji.

Throughout his career, Jones won three Tony Awards, two Emmys, and a Grammy, as well as an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2011.

In 1971, Jones became the second Black man to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, following Sidney Poitier.

Kevin Costner, who starred alongside Jones in Field of Dreams, said:

'That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I'll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams.'

Jones was also well-known as a television actor; he portrayed the character of Alex Haley in the production Roots: The Next Generation and won an Emmy award for his lead role in the American drama Gabriel's Fire.