Original Chewbacca Actor Peter Mayhew Dies At Age 74

Peter Mayhew, who is best known for being the original actor inside the Chewbacca suit for the Star Wars films has died at age 74.

The actor died Tuesday in his home located in North Texas with his family by his side. His official Twitter account shared the news Thursday. Mayhew had been dealing with mobility issues and had surgery in July in an effort to improve that.

The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home. pic.twitter.com/YZ5VLyuK0u

— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 2, 2019

While Mayhew didn't actually speak in the Star Wars movies he helped make the wookie a fan-favorite character with his size, movements and gestures. Mayhew was the man in the Chewbacca suit for the original trilogy as well as Revenge of the Sith, and shared the duties with Joonas Suotamo in Force Awakens after his health began to falter. Suotamo continued on as Chewbacca in Last Jed, Solo: A Star Wars Story and the upcoming Rise Of Skywalker film. Mayhew continued to be a consultant to Suotamo for Last Jedi.