Star Wars Actors, Celebrities Pay Tribute To Kenny Baker

Star Wars fans across the galaxy are today mourning the death of Kenny Baker, the actor who brought life to the lovable droid R2-D2. It isn’t just fans who are remembering the actor. Baker’s Star Wars co-stars and other celebrities are also sharing their condolences and thoughts on social media.

Mark Hamill shared several photos. Some are of Baker himself, others are of R2-D2 with Hamill, both in an out of character as Luke Skywalker. Hamill and Baker spent a lot of time on screen together, as R2 was Luke’s near constant sidekick throughout the original Star Wars trilogy. “Goodbye #KennyBaker A lifelong loyal friend-I loved his optimism & determination He WAS the droid I was looking for!” Hamill wrote on Twitter.

Baker reprised his role as the lovable astromech droid in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, where he worked with the actor who played young Boba Fett, Daniel Logan. Logan tweeted out a photo of himself with Baker, writing, “So sad to hear one of my dearest friends passed away. Rest in peace Kenny Baker. Love you. Will miss you!”

Baker also worked on the prequels with young Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor. McGregor also tweeted a remembrance when he heard the news.

20th Century Fox, the original distributor of Star Wars, tweeted out its condolences, calling Baker “the heart and soul of R2-D2.”

Of course, it wasn’t just the people he worked with whom Baker touched. He inspired others, some of whom became involved with Star Wars, including Pablo Hidalgo of the Star Wars Story Group.

Others may not have become a part of the Star Wars universe, but were surely influenced by it and Baker’s contributions to it. These include Matt Senreich, co-creator of Robot Chicken (which has featured numerous Star Wars sketches and special episodes), and Edgar Wright, director of the Cornetto trilogy and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, who included Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back on the list of his 1000 favorite movies. Both tweeted out their own thoughts on Baker.

UPDATE: Several more celebrities and stars have added their own tweets to the chorus in Kenny Baker’s memory, including directors Guillermo del Toro and Kevin Smith, iZombie actor Rahul Kohli, WWE’s William Regal, Star Trek Beyond writer/actor Simon Pegg, The Lord of the Rings and Lost actor Dominic Monaghan, Frozen‘s Josh Gad, and more. See them below.

Check back here throughout the day, as we’ll be keeping this article updated with more thoughts and remembrances of Baker from those he worked with and inspired.

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