“Kenny Baker has sadly passed away and was found on Saturday morning by his nephew Drew, who was also his carer in the latter part of his life”, his agent Johnny Mans said in a statement to AFP.
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However Kenny did attend the film’s London premiere and before his death met Lucas in Manchester, England one final time. Lucas told him that he did not want to use children, and children probably would not be able to move around in the robot costume very well, because of its weight.
The British actor, who was 3-foot-8, first played the plucky droid in George Lucas’s 1977 blockbuster “Star Wars”, and he reprised the role in two sequels, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi“, and three prequels.
“I loved his optimism and determination”, he wrote and concluded his tweet with a twist on a famous line.
He told the Press Association: “For the last five or six years I’ve looked after him and kept him at home basically”.
Among those mourning the loss of Baker include 20th Century Fox, Rogue One screenwriter Gary Whitta, director Edgar Wright, actor Simon Pegg, filmmaker Kevin Smith and many more.
Rest in peace, Kenny Baker, the heart and soul of R2-D2.
Shield told The Guardian, “It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. But he was consulted by certain people”. “We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime”, the actor’s niece, Abigail Shield, said.
The 3ft 8in (1.12m) actor was in a joint theatrical act called the Mini Tones with friend Jack Purvis, and the duo had just made the final of talent show Opportunity Knocks, so Baker left the Star Wars team. “It was lovely working with Kenny”.
‘Very sorry to hear about Kenny.
Mark Hamill was the first from the Star Wars camp to respond. The gargantuan success of Star Wars led Baker down a path to other Sci-Fi/Fantasy roles in many classics and cult classics of the genres, such as Flash Gordon, Time Bandits, Labyrinth, and even such dramatic fare as The Elephant Man and the Oscar-winning Amadeus.
Rest in peace, Kenny.
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“David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original trilogy, posted a heartwarming picture of his 6’5” self holding the diminutive actor aloft while they played bowling. “I eventually ended up with Kenny Baker, who was small with upper-body strength”. But he will always be remembered for his work as the droid in Star Wars.
