Stage and screen actor James Earl Jones, who won Tony Awards for "The Great White Hope" and "Fences," and whose majestic basso profundo voice would become internationally recognized as the villainous Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" franchise, has died, his rep confirmed to CBS News. He was 93.
Jones' rep Barry McPherson told CBS News the actor died Monday morning surrounded by his family. He didn't provide additional details.
Tributes poured in following news of Jones' death. Actor Mark Hamill, who played Darth Vader's son Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movies, wrote, "#RIP dad," with a broken heart emoji on social media.
"There will never be another of his particular combination of graces," actor LeVar Burton wrote.
An actor renowned for his theatrical presence in works by Shakespeare, Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Jean Genet, Anton Chekhov, August Wilson, Athol Fugard and Alfred Uhry, and in such acclaimed films as "Field of Dreams," Jones would become even more famous for his voice, whether it was as a commercial pitchman, an announcer for CNN, the father of Disney's animated "Lion King," or a Dark Lord of the Sith — all the more remarkable given that as a child he suffered a stutter, which continued throughout his life.
Boeing machinists voted to approve a contract offer on Monday, closing the book on a bruising...
A 12-year-old boy was among five people who died in the fiery crash of a small...
Quincy Jones, the multi-talented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic “Thriller”...
