Beloved star James Earl Jones and his wife Cecilia Hart arrive at FIJI Water at 2016 Tony Awards at The Beacon Theatre on June 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for FIJI Water)
James Earl Jones: His Cause Of Death 93
The news of James’ passing came late afternoon on September 9 . It was confirmed by his rep to Variety that the star, most widely known as the voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, as well as Mufasa from The Lion King, that he had died that morning at his home in Dutchess County, N.Y.
Though the official cause of death was not shared immediately, James struggled in later years with type 2 diabetes.
“I’d been fit, climbing up mountains and skiing uphill and all that,” James explained in an interview about his health in 2016 with AOL. “I thought I was invincible, as the army teaches you to think of yourself, so it was a shock. There’s a lot of denial.”
When he finally was diagnosed, it was after nearly 20 years of ignoring the signs of his condition.
“I fell asleep on the bench in the middle of the gymnasium,” he said. “The doctor who happened to be there told me, ‘That’s not normal.’ I took the test, and there it was. Type 2 diabetes. And it hit me like a thunderbolt.”
His Legacy As Darth Vader, Mufasa, & More
There is perhaps not a person alive who doesn’t love one of James Earl Jones’ projects. From movies to TV to Broadway, JEJ did it all throughout his career.
What shocks many is that, in order to become the legend his today, a young James had to overcome a terrible stutter. Hard to believe that the most recognizable baritone voice of all time struggled with speech.
And yet, he did overcome it, and his voice acting is perhaps what he’ll be remembered for.
James has notably voiced the most recognizable villain in film history, Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise. He started with the first in the trilogy films—Star Wars (1977), before returning for the two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi
James then appeared again in the first installment of the Star Wars anthology series—Rogue One (2016), and the third installment of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
He also voiced the beloved Disney character Mufasa in the original 1994 animated The Lion King – and then again in 2019 for the computer animated remake. He was the only original cast member to return.
His last role was his performance in 2021’s “Coming 2 America.” For that film, Jones reprised his role as King Jaffe Joffer from the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy “Coming to America”.
Clearly, when the man loved a role, he kept coming back for more!
An Award Winning Star And Father
James was the recipient of many awards throughout his lifetime, even scoring the rare EGOT honor.
He won Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards (including the Tony for Lifetime Achievement in 2017) and earned an honorary Oscar in 2011. No doubt he will be honored at all of these shows in the coming weeks.
His other most notable roles include Mr. Mertle in the 1993 film “The Sandlot” and as Pendleton in the 2018 drama, “Warning Shot.”
James was first married to actress-singer Julienne Marie. His second wife of 34 years, actress Cecilia Hart, died in 2016. He is survived his son, Flynn Earl Jones.
