#RIP Peter Mayhew, Original Chewbacca Actor Passed Away at 74

The official Twitter account of Peter Mayhew has revealed that the actor has passed away at the age of 74. The actor was made famous by playing his role as the wookie, Chewbacca.

According to the tweet, Mayhew passed away in the company of his family. The cause of death was still unrevealed but it is worth noting that the actor underwent surgery recently.

Peter Mayhew appeared in Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi(1983), Revenge of the Sith (2005) and The Force Awakens (2015). Mayhew had done some minor acting — he played a minotaur in the Ray Harryhausen fantasy Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) — and was working as a hospital orderly when he tried out for the part of Chewbacca. He got the role based on his physique, as writer-director George Lucas was in desperate need of someone who would be able to play taller than Darth Vader. (In his prime, Mayhew stood 7-foot-3.)