Actor Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca from ‘Star Wars’, Dies at 74

Peter Mayhew, who played the lovable and loyal Chewbacca as part of the Star Wars franchise, died on Tuesday at age 74.

His family posted this statement on Twitter:

The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He left us the evening of April 30, 2019, with his family by his side in his North Texas home.

George Lucas originally had his eye on bodybuilder David Prowse to play Chewbacca, but Prowse decided to play Darth Vader instead and Lucas went with the even taller Mayhew, who stood 7 feet 3 inches.

There will be a memorial service for friends and family on June 29, with a memorial for fans in Los Angeles in early December at EmpireCon. He is survived by his wife, Angie, and three children.