he had a voice so recognizable it could be heard in a galaxy far far away James Earl Jones was the menacing sound of Darth Vader from the original Star Wars films he was also Mufasa in The Lion King and so much more besides but as a child he struggled to speak at all his death was announced last night Sally vidol looks back on his life and career paying tribute his Star Wars son Luke Skywalker played by Mark Hamill simply said rip dad a father figure in so many ways he brought to life fer in The Lion King He was so perfect for the role that he reprised it in the live action version 25 years later come to me son he was also the voice of CNN sending his unique sound right across the globe this is CNN but it could all have been so different for the little boy born in Mississippi in 1931 as a child he struggled with a stammer finding it hard to speak at all through reciting poetry and acting he rewrote his future