Daniel Fleetwood, the terminally-ill man whose final wish to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens was granted by director J.J. Abrams last week, has passed away, according to his wife.
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Fleetwood suffered from spindle cell sarcoma, a rare connective tissue cancer, and over the summer he was given only months to live. He outlasted his initial diagnosis but when it became clear he was unlikely to live until the December release of The Force Awakens, he and his wife took to the Internet in a fan campaign to get an early screening for Daniel.
“Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end,” his wife Ashley Fleetwood posted to Facebook early this morning. “He is now one with God and with the Force. He passed in his sleep and in peace. He will always be my idol and my hero. Please hug uncle Marc for me and give Lucy lots of kisses. Rest in peace my love.”
Some fans noted that Fleetwood’s story felt like the plot to the movie Fanboys, while others noted similarities between his and the story of a Star Trek fan for whom Abrams similarly came through before the theatrical release of Star Trek Into Darkness.
During the #ForceForDaniel push to get Disney’s and Abrams’s attention, Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Warwick Davis all lent support.
You can contribute to Fleetwood’s GoFundMe campaign, which will help pay for his outstanding medical and end-of-life expenses, here.
