'Star Wars' Legend Mark Hamill Honors James Earl Jones With Emotional Tribute: "RIP Dad"

The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of James Earl Jones, the legendary EGOT-winning actor renowned for his roles in numerous projects, including Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King.

In the wake of his passing, friends and admirers, including Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill, have shared their tributes. In tribute to James Earl Jones and their time together in Star Wars, Mark Hamill referenced one of the movie's most iconic moments: You know, the one where Darth Vader drops the big spoiler about being Luke Skywalker's father.

Mark Hamill shared his touching message on X (formerly Twitter), writing, "#RIP dad" with a broken heart emoji. The sweet post has garnered over 17.2 million views and more than 685,000 likes.

Lucasfilm also issued an official statement, highlighting moving responses from many key figures in the Star Wars universe.

"James was an incredible actor, a most unique voice both in art and spirit," creator George Lucas said. "For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being. He gave depth, sincerity, and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn. James will be missed by so many of us ... friends and fans alike."

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy added in her own statement, "James Earl Jones is one of the most versatile and talented actors of our time, with an iconic body of work across film, stage and television. The menacing baritone he brought to Darth Vader will forever be beloved by fans and regarded as one of the great villainous performances in cinema. His commanding presence on screen, and warm personality off-screen, will be greatly missed."

Our thoughts are with James family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.