International Space Station Honors Peter Mayhew for "Inspiring Generations of Explorers"

Legendary Chewbacca actor, Peter Mayhew, passed away at 74 on April 30th, and fans and fellow [...]

By Jamie Jirak

Legendary Chewbacca actor, Peter Mayhew, passed away at 74 on April 30th, and fans and fellow actors alike have been paying tribute to the man behind the Wookiee. The iconic performer is being remembered all across the globe and even beyond. Nick Hague, an astronaut currently residing in the International Space Station, recently shared a post honoring Mayhew all the way from space.

"Honoring Peter Mayhew (also known as Chewbacca) up here on @Space_Station. Thank you Peter for inspiring generations of explorers," Hague wrote.

Beautiful shot! Many fans were quick to comment on the post, loving the tribute.

"This is so thoughtful and beautiful! Thank you for your kindness," @saty381 wrote.

"Lovely sentiment. Does NASA know you're flying a TIE fighter when you're meant to be at work?," @soundofsleat teased.

"I can't think of a more proper place for this. What a great tribute to an awesome guy!," @sarahsorrento28 added.

"The spirit of #StarWars unites and celebrates life. Peter could make a person feel like they were the only two in the room when they met him. Your tribute to him is heartwarming and appropriate. Thank You!," @PhoenixHaha replied.

Mayhew portrayed the iconic character in the original Star Wars trilogy and returned to reprise the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Due to Mayhew's limited mobility and recent health problems, Joonas Suotamo has taken on the role of Chewbacca in the subsequent Star Wars films, but Mayhew continued to serve as a consultant for the role he created.

A memorial service for friends and family of Mayhew is set to be held on June 29th, with a memorial for fans expected to occur in December at EmpireCon LA.

You can see Suotamo portray Chewbacca next in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which is expected to hit theaters on December 20th.

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