Star Wars Fans Mourn the Death of Darth Vader Actor David Prowse

David Prowse, the actor/bodybuilder who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died at the age of 85. Prowse was a competitive weightlifter alongside Hollywood stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno. He spent 50 years in showbusiness His role as Darth Vader remains his most memorable, but he also appeared in A Clockwork Orange and helped train Christopher Reeve to play Superman. His Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill shared a remembrance of the actor. Now Star Wars fans, especially those who grew up watching Prowse’s portrayal of the Dark Lord of the Sith, are taking to social media to honor the late actor.

Prowse’s agent Thomas Bowington shared his thoughts about the actor with the BBC. “May the force be with him, always!” Bowington said. “Though famous for playing many monsters – for myself, and all who knew Dave and worked with him, he was a hero in our lives.” He called the untimely tragedy, “a truly and deeply heart-wrenching loss for us and millions of fans all over the world.”

When George Lucas cast Prowse, the director offered him the choice of playing Darth Vader or Chewbacca. In 2013, Prowse explained to NPR why he chose to go with the villain.

“What happened actually is my agent rang me up and said there’s a gentleman in town called George Lucas who would very much like to see you,” he said. “So, I went out to see him and meet up with him. He took me into a room and showed me all these conceptual drawings. He said, ‘I would like to offer you one of two parts in this movie I’m doing. The first one is a character called Chewbacca.’ I said, ‘What in the h*** is Chewbacca?’ ‘He goes through the film on the side of the goodies, you see?’ I heard that and said, ‘Three months in a gorilla skin? No, thank you very much!’

“‘The other one is called Darth Vader. He’s the big villain of the film, you see?’ I said, ‘Don’t say anymore George, I’ll have the villain’s part. He said, ‘Tell me why?’ Think back on all the movies you’ve ever seen when there’s good guys and bad guys. You always remember the bad guy!”

Keep reading to see how fans are remembering Prowse on social media.

Rest In Peace

Thank You

He WIll Not Be Forgotten

The Ultimate Villain

May the Force Be With You

Always

Thank You For Everything

He Has Become More Powerful

A True Lord of the Sith

Remember His Legacy