Chewbacca

About

Chewbacca is a character from the Star Wars franchise. In the Star Wars universe, he is of the Wookie species from the planet of Kashyyyk and the best friend of Han Solo. Peter Mayhew portrayed the character from 1977 through 2015, while Joonas Suotamo assumed the role in 2017.

Origin

Star Wars-creator George Lucas has said that he came up with the idea for Chewbacca after seeing his dog, Indiana, sitting in the passenger seat.

On May 25th, 1977, the film Star Wars premiered in the United States, becoming the first onscreen appearance of Chewbacca (clip below). In the film, Chewbacca is the character Han Solo's best friend and the first mate on Solo's spacecraft the Millenium Falcon.^[1]

Spread

Following the release of Star Wars, Chewbacca appeared in nearly every subsequent Star Wars film, including Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI -- Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, as well as being the focus of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, in which the Star Wars characters attempt to return Chewbacca home to Kashyyyk for the Life Day holiday (clip below, left).

In 2015, Mayhew reprised the role of Chewbacca for the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, it would be his final appearance in the film.

For 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Mayhew's body double Joonas Suotamo portrayed Chewbacca, the first of three turns as the character (clip below, right).. Suotamo played Chewbacca in the films Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Mayhew's Death

On April 30th, 2019, Peter Mayhew died of a heart attack at his home in Boyd, Texas. His family announced his passing on Twitter, ^[2] writing "The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home."

Following his death, fans and fellow Star Wars cast members expressed their condolences online. In a statement, Han Solo-actor Harrison Ford, Mayhew's screen partner for several films said in a statement:^[3]

Peter Mayhew was a kind and gentle man, possessed of great dignity and noble character. These aspects of his own personality, plus his wit and grace, he brought to Chewbacca. We were partners in film and friends in life for over 30 years and I loved him. He invested his soul in the character and brought great pleasure to the Star Wars audience. Chewbacca was an important part of the success of the films we made together. He knew how important the fans of the franchise were to it’s continued success and he was devoted to them. 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.

Star Wars-creator George Lucas said, "Peter was a wonderful man. He was 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."

Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in Star Wars films tweeted,^[4] "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." The tweet received more than 48,000 retweets and 190,000 likes in 24 horus (shown below, left).

The official Star Wars Twitter account posted a statement from producer Kathleen Kennedy, who wrote,^[5] "We are deeply saddened today by the news of Peter Mayhew’s passing. Since 1976, Peter’s iconic portrayal of the loyal, lovable Chewbacca has been absolutely integral to the character’s success, and to the Star Wars saga itself." Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 23,000 retweets and 64,000 likes (shown below, left).

Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J. J. Abrams wrote,^[6] "Peter was the lovelies man…kind and patient, supporive and encouraging. A sweetheart to work with and already deeply missed." The tweet received more than 3,000 retweets and 20,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, right).

That day, Redditor ^[7] MrPrecyse posted about the death on the /r/StarWars subreddit. The post received more than 53,000 retweets (93% upvoted) and 1,300 comments in 24 hours.

Search Interest

External References