What he lacked in height, he makes up for it with his millions of fans. As reported by The Guardian, Kenny Baker, the man who brought the lovable R2-D2 to life has died at the age of 83.
Baker, who was less than four feet tall, was part of a successful comedy act called the Minitones when George Lucas hired him back in 1976. Ever since then Baker has appeared as R2-D2 in both the original and prequel trilogies. Baker also had an additional role as Paploo, the lovable Ewok who steals the Imperial speeder bike in Return of the Jedi.
Baker even returned for The Force Awakens, despite his ailing health. While he appeared at a European red carpet for the film, he wasn’t able to attend the premiere in L.A.
Baker’s other films include The Elephant Man, Willow, Flash Gordon, and Labyrinth.
Baker’s niece, Abigail Shield, told The Guardian: “It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.” She continues, “When he was a child, he was told that he probably wouldn’t survive through puberty, being a little person in those times, they didn’t have a very good life expectancy. He did extremely well in his life. He was very ill for the last few years so we had been expecting it. He had been looked after by one of his nephews, who found him on Saturday morning.”
Today is truly a sad day for Star Wars fans everywhere. Rest in peace, Kenny Baker.
from Nerd Reactor
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