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The beloved actor Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in “Star Wars,” died on Saturday after a long illness.
He was 83.
The British actor, who stood at 3-foot-8, was well-known for his role inside the robot suit as R2-D2 in six of the “Star Wars” films.
Baker first became famous for the role in 1977 in “Star Wars IV: A New Hope.”
He also continued his role as the character in “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi” and the three prequel films.
Despite battling illness, Baker also returned as a consultant on the recent “Force Awakens” movie. He was invited to the Los Angeles premiere, but was too sick to attend. He did get to meet George Lucas one last time in Manchester.
His niece Abigail Shield told The Guardian that his death was expected, but “sad nonetheless.”
“He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world,” Shield said. “We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.”
His niece explained that Baker’s parents did not expect him to live past puberty.
“Being a little person in those timesthey didn’t have a very good life expectancy. He did extremely well in his life,” she explained. “He was very ill for the last few years so we had been expecting it.”
Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO alongside Baker in the “Star Wars” films, had a well-documented bitter feud with Baker throughout filming.
The creator of “Star Wars,” George Lucas, commended Baker’s commitment to his role as R2-D2 and his positive personality.
“Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances,” Lucas said in a statement.
“A talented vaudevillian who could always make everybody laugh, Kenny was truly the heart and soul of R2-D2 and will be missed by all his fans and everyone who knew him,” he continued.
Fellow actors shared their sadness for the loss of the actor on Twitter.
Mark Hamill, who famously played Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” films, called Baker a “lifelong friend.”
“Goodbye #KennyBaker A lifelong loyal friend-I loved his optimism & determination,” Hamill wrote. “He WAS the droid I was looking for!”
Ewan McGregor, who starred in “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” said Baker was lovely to work with.
“So sorry to hear about this. It was lovely working with Kenny,” he tweeted.
Actress Alyssa Milano was also shocked by the news.
“May the force be with you, Kenny Baker,” she wrote.
Baker also starred in the films, “The Elephant Man,” “Time Bandits” and “Flash Gordon.”