British actor Kenny Baker attends the opening of the European Premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in central London on December 16, 2015. According to The Guardian, Baker, who was three-feet, eight-inches tall, had been very ill for the past few years, and was found dead by his caretaker nephew on Saturday morning.
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His niece, Abigail Shield, confirmed his passing to the BBC and The Guardian on Saturday, noting he had been battling illness for some time. “We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime”, Shield added.
“Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances”, he said.
Baker’s other appearances include Mona Lisa, Amadeus, The Elephant Man, Time Bandits and Flash Gordon. In an interview published on his official website, the actor was quoted as saying that he wasn’t interested at first in playing the role, as he didn’t “want to be stuck in a robot (costume)” for an entire movie.
Their two children survive them.
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the first three films, paid tribute to a “lifelong loyal friend”.
Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Kenny Baker, he will be sadly missed by his legion of fans the world over. “He was R2D2 I was lucky enough to work with him for many years RIP lovely man”.
“The problem was we had to get someone inside it”, “Star Wars” art director Leslie Dilley, who helped design R2-D2, said in 2007.
“Rest in peace, Kenny Baker, the heart and soul of R2-D2”, the 20th Century Fox Twitter account said.
Tributes to the star have since followed, with “Lord of the Rings” actor Dominic Monaghan tweeting: “You left your legendary marks #KennyBaker #rip to a lovely gent and a fantastic legacy”.
Kenny Baker, at just 112cm tall, was ideal to fit inside R2-D2’s cylinder-shaped body.
As one of the core members of the franchise, and perhaps one of the most recognizable, any fan of Star Wars would have no trouble recounting the little droid’s story arc.
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Warwick Davis, who played Wicket in Return of the Jedi and also appeared with Baker in Labyrinth and Willow, made the touching remark, “sad to say goodbye to a small man with a huge heart & personality”.
