Emotional Peter Mayhew tribute tweet has fans in floods of tears
The death of Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewbacca, has hit the world of Star Wars fandom hard.
Twitter is currently awash with tributes to the towering star, who died at the age of 74 following a heart attack.
But one tweet in particular has sent fans over the edge.
Read now: Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew dies at 74
It comes direct from Mayhew’s own account, in response to a Time magazine article reporting on Harrison Ford’s farewell words for his old friend.
“I loved him,” reads part of the headline from Time, to which Mayhew’s account, called @TheWookieeRoars, replies: “He knew.”
He knew. https://t.co/sbixEmncx1
— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 3, 2019
From being awash with tributes, Twitter’s now awash with tears.
— Alex Miller (@THEAlexMiller1) May 3, 2019
— Raj (@jedikillerkylo) May 3, 2019
— Rocko Steel (@ocmd73) May 3, 2019
— Star Wars DieHards (@StarWarsDH) May 3, 2019
omg so gutted but this is the perfect reply 😭
— _Lilzy (@_Lilzy) May 3, 2019
Many of those Mayhew knew from Star Wars and beyond have been paying tribute to him all morning, since news of his death broke late last night.
Ford said: “I and millions of others will never forget Peter and what he gave us all. My thoughts are with his dear wife Angie and his children. Rest easy, my dear friend.”
Mark Hamill called him ‘the gentlest of giants’, and said he was ‘a better man for having known him’.
He was the gentlest of giants-A big man with an even bigger heart who never failed to make me smile & a loyal friend who I loved dearly-I'm grateful for the memories we shared & I'm a better man for just having known him. Thanks Pete #RIPPeterMayhew #Heartbroken @TheWookieeRoars pic.twitter.com/8xbq9HEWF2
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) May 2, 2019
Hundreds of other movie folk have also paid tribute to him.
George Lucas called him ‘the closest any human being could be to a Wookiee: big heart, gentle nature . . . and I learned to always let him win. He was a good friend and I’m saddened by his passing’.
Much more than Chewie to me…My heart hurts…I will miss you my dear friend…thanks for the great memories! #RIPPeterMayhew #StarWars pic.twitter.com/0DfCo59zpG
— Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) May 3, 2019
We’ve lost a friend and #StarWars legend. The mighty #PeterMayhew brought such warmth, humour and humility to the beloved character of #Chewbacca. His personal wit and charm will be missed by Star Wars fans across the galaxy too. #RIPPeterMayhew pic.twitter.com/dm6Sd6oNPS
— Warwick Davis (@WarwickADavis) May 3, 2019
— JJ Abrams (@jjabrams) May 3, 2019
May the Force Be with You, #PeterMayhew! As the King of the Cinematic Sidekicks, your performance helped make my childhood fun! Thank you for bringing Chewbacca to life and for always waving the flag for fandom! We may have let the Wookie win, but YOU won our hearts, sir! pic.twitter.com/B6cpKTKyv2
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) May 3, 2019
A post shared by Billie Lourd (@praisethelourd) on May 2, 2019 at 6:04pm PDT
Star Wars wouldn’t have been the same without Peter Mayhew as the loyal and lovable Chewbacca, and he will always be a favourite for generations of kids & kids at heart. Rest easy, Peter. pic.twitter.com/psEok9fzcq
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 3, 2019
He is survived by his wife Angie, and his three children.