Yesterday I ended the day with a bit of sobering news about an actor I’ve always loved & revered. James Earl Jones passed away at the age of 93. According to Jones’ representative Barry McPherson — as of now an official cause of death was not disclosed.
“He passed this morning surrounded by his loved ones,” McPherson said. “He was a great man.”
Jones was a titan in the entertainment industry winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, but he’ll always first and foremost, in many people’s minds, be the voice behind arguably the greatest movie villain (fallen hero?) ever to grace the screen — Darth Vader. He was a larger-than-life talent with a charisma and smile that made us all laugh and cry.
Hero. Villain. Mentor. James could seamlessly do it all and his talent always added such a gravitas to every role he played. From Disney’s King Mufasa in ‘The Lion King’ all the way to the King Jaffe Joffer of Zamunda in ‘Coming to America’. From Mr. Mertle of ‘The Sandlot’ to Terence Mann in ‘Field of Dreams’. James was always a strong, proud, stout figure who loomed larger than life.
I’ll always love James for all the incredible entertainment he gifted us over the years. I weep for the loss, but am grateful for every moment he gave to us.
RIP, James.
I’ll end with a quote from Sandlot that sums up his legacy well…
“Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die. Follow your heart, kid, and you’ll never go wrong”.
-The Sandlot
Now enjoy a few GIFs from James’ body of work, that are etched into our hearts and minds…
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