Mark Hamill has led heartfelt tributes to his asterisk Star Wars asterisk co-star James Earl Jones honoring the legendary actor who passed away at the age of 93 in a simple yet poignant two-word message Hamill posted rip dad in response to the news paying homage to the man who famously voiced Darth Vader Luke Skywalker's father in the iconic film series Jones who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the mid 1990s had not publicly revealed the cause of death but his passing marks the end of an era for asterisk Star Wars asteris fans and The Wider entertainment World thus known for his deep commanding voice as Darth Vader in the original asterisk Star Wars asteris Trilogy Jones reprised the role more than a dozen times most recently in Disney plus asterisk obi-1 Kenobi asterisk series but Jones's Legacy reaches far beyond the galaxy far far away his distinguished career included Unforgettable performances as Mufasa and asterisk The Lion King asterisk and liveaction roles in films such as asterisk Field of Dreams asterisk asterisk Coming to America asterisk and asterisk Conan the Barbarian asterisk a Titan of stage and Screen his contributions to the Arts were as varied as they were impactful lar Burton Octavius Spencer and Wendell Pierce were among the many stars who paid tribute to Jones but it was Hamill's emotional words that struck a chord with asterisk Star Wars asterisk fans Hamill who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the franchise has long referred to Jones as dad on social media a nickname he has also used affectionately for other actors who played Darth Vader including David prow and Hayden Christensen in a longer tribute shared on Instagram Hamill reflected on Jones's immense contributions to asterisk Star Wars asterisk writing one of the world's finest actors whose contributions to asterisk Star Wars asterisk were immeasurable he'll be greatly missed # rdad fans responded to Hamill's heartfelt message with an outpouring of emotion many sharing their own grief at the loss of such a beloved figure one fan wrote this breaks my heart he lived an amazing life life and gave us all the voice of one of the most iconic characters for generations and generations to come another commented as if I wasn't already shedding tears about James Earl's death now I see what Mark Hamill tweeted about him George Lucas the creator of asterisk Star Wars asterisk also shared his thoughts on Jones's passing emphasizing the actor's Humanity for nearly half a century he was Darth Vader but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being Lucas said in a statement he gave depth sincerity and meaning to all his roles amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late and dad to Flynn James will be missed by so many of us friends and fans alike Lucas film president Kathleen Kennedy called Jones one of the most versatile and talented actors of our time and reflected on his iconic body of work that spanned film stage and television Jones unparalleled ability to bring complex characters to life coupled with his warmth in Grace offscreen has left an enduring Legacy that will be cherished by generations of fans and fellow performers alike Mark Hamill has led the tributes to his Star Wars co-star James Earl Jones with a simple two-word message to the iconic actor who has passed away age 93 Jones was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the mid 1990s a fact he made public in 2016 but no cause of death has officially been announced the actor was best known for voicing Darth Vader in the original Star Wars Trilogy between 1977 and 1983 but had played the character more than a dozen times most recently in the Disney plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi Jones wasn't just known for Star Wars and his distinguished career was also celebrated for his performances as muasa in The Lion King as well as his live action roles in the likes the Field of Dreams Coming to America and Conan the Barbarian Lavar Burton octavus Spencer and Wendell Pierce were amongst the top names to pay tribute to Jones but Hamill's touching words struck a chord with Star Wars fans in particular Hamill who famously played Vader's son Luke Skywalker in the franchise shared variety story on Jones's death and said rip dad in response 72-year-old Hamill did post a slightly longer tribute on Instagram writing one of the world's finest actors whose contributions to Star Wars were immeasurable he'll be greatly missed # rip dad Hamill has consistently called Jan's dad on social media over the years especially when wishing him a happy birthday it's a touch that Hamill has also used for other actors who have played Darth Vader including David prow Hayden Christensen Jake Lloyd and Sebastian Shaw unsurprisingly Hamill's tribute has tug at the heartstrings of Star Wars with many thanking him and sharing their own heach at the news of Jones's passing one fan wrote this breaks my heart this one hurts he lived an amazing life and gave us all the voice of one of the most iconic characters for generations and generations to come another said as if I was wasn't already shedding tears about James Earl's death now I see what Mark Hamill tweeted about him a third added dang it that got me in the 10-year-old me while a fourth proclaimed cheers everyone aged over 35s crying nice one elsewhere Star Wars Creator George Lucas said in a statement for nearly half a century he was Darth Vader but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being he he gave depth sincerity and meaning to all his roles amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late Cy and dad to Flynn James will be missed by so many of us friends and fans alike Lucas film president Kathleen Kennedy described Jones as one of the most versatile and talented actors of our time with an iconic body of work across film stage and television e e e