James Earl Jones Dead at 93: Voiceover Legend’s Career Spanned More Than 6 Decades

James Earl Jones, a legendary voiceover artist and actor of more than 60 years, died at age 93 on Monday, September 9, Closer confirmed. 

The esteemed actor passed away at his home in Dutchess County, New York, surrounded by his family, per a statement from his reps.

The Tony winner is survived by his son, Flynn Earl Jones, whom he welcomed with his wife, Cecilia Hart, in 1982. James and Cecilia were married for 34 years before her death from ovarian cancer at age 68 in October 2016. 

The Sandlot actor paid tribute to his late wife before accepting his Tony Lifetime Achievement Award one year after her death.

“I want to thank my wife Ceci for being such a wonderful companion in my life and in my work,” he said at a pre-ceremony for the awards show in June 2017. “And, for being the great coproducer of our son, Flynn, and for being so dazzling on the red carpet.”

The Broadway performer was married to his first wife, Julienne Marie, from 1968 to 1972. He was loved by many in Hollywood for his unforgettable roles, including voicing Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, playing Mufasa in The Lion King and of course, becoming a beacon of Broadway beginning in the ‘50s. 

After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, James overcame a stutter and fulfilled his dream of being a performer. A sense of resilience was always at the heart of his career. 

“Being raised as a farm kid, it was all about making do,” the Mississippi native told NPR in November 2014 of his upbringing. “Putting one foot in front of the other. You had to plow a field, you just put the horse in the row and you got behind the plow and you did [one] row at a time. And eventually, you got it done — one foot in front of the other. And you take up a profession in this business, you got to accept that there’s a certain journeyman stage to it.” 

In the years leading up to his death, James reprised his role of King Jaffe Joffer in 2021’s Coming 2 America and voiced Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries on Disney+. In September 2022, it was announced that James was stepping back from reprising his Star Wars role and gave producers the go-ahead to use synthetic speech technology and AI to recreate his voice in future sequels.

Hollywood mourned the loss of the iconic star, sharing tributes on social media after the heartbreaking news broke.

“James Earl Jones… there will never be another of his particular combination of graces,” LeVar Burton wrote in a tribute on X.

“Thank you dear James Earl Jones for everything. A master of our craft. We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best,” Colman Domingo wrote on X.

Mark Hamill, who costarred with James in Star Wars, shared news of his death on X, writing, “#RIP dad ?.”