Darth Vader is dead. James Earl Jones, the voice of the most iconic villain ever created, has passed away today at age 93.
Do I really need to go into how big this guy was to us Gen X’ers? Conan the Barbarian, Field Of Dreams, Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Sandlot, Coming To America, and Dr Strangelove. Not to mention voice roles in the Lion King, Robots, and of course, the Star Wars trilogy.
I mean, even if you don’t like baseball, tell me this speech of his doesn’t want to make you run out to a ballpark and take in a game:
Goddamn. I’m not going to lie. This news brought a tear to my eye. His was the voice that could not be replicated. He was a presence on any silver screen that could not be ignored. Only he could’ve delivered the line that dropped the jaws of kids around the world.
His voice wasn’t the only thing that made him menacing.
But he could also bring the warmth.
Goodbye James Earl Jones.
Crap, time keeps just taking.