James Earl Jones, best known for his work as Mufasa in the Lion King and as the voice of Darth Vader, has died. He was 93 years old. He passed away on Monday, September 9th, at his home in Dutchess County, New York, while surrounded by his family.

Jones was born in 1931 in Mississippi, but moved to Michigan at the age of 5, which caused him to develop a stutter. According to Michael Rothman in an ABC News article, “It was the stutter that led Jones into acting after a high school teacher used poetry to help him speak more clearly,” (Rothman, Sept. 9th). He got his start on Broadway after he served in the Korean War, getting his first lead roles in Shakespeare plays. He went on to win two Tony Awards. He then moved to the big screen, and earned critical acclaim for his roles, getting a nomination at the Academy Awards and winning two Emmy awards.

In 1977, Jones was cast for the role he is most known for, the voice of Darth Vader. He’s said that he and director George Lucas had disagreements about the direction of the voice Jones was going to give. Now, he’s the voice of some of the most iconic lines in all of film. But that’s not the only voice role he’s known for, also being the voice of Mufasa, in The Lion King.

Throughout the years, James Earl Jones has been in some of people’s favorite childhood classics, like the iconic Field of Dreams, as well as more adult movies like Conan The Barbarian.

In the same article by ABC News, Rothman says that in March 2022, “it was announced that Broadway’s Cort Theatre would be renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre” (Rothman, Sept. 9th). Jones was married twice. His second wife, Cecilia Hart, died in 2016. They are survived by their only son, Flynn Earl Jones.