- The Washington Times - Thursday, May 2, 2019

Peter Mayhew — the actor who brought “Chewbacca” to life in the iconic “Star Wars” franchise — has died at age 74.

“The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away,” a representative for the London native  tweeted from his official Twitter account Thursday. “He left us the evening of April 30, 2019, with his family by his side in his North Texas home.”

Mr. Mayhew played the role in five of the franchise’s films, which include: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), Revenge of the Sith (2005) and The Force Awakens (2005).



• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2025 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

PIANO END ARTICLE RECO