If you think that 2020 cannot worsen, think again. The acclaimed bodybuilder and weightlifter David Prowse, famous for playing Darth Vader in the Star Wars original trilogy, dies at 85.
David Prowse's death was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by the star's agent on Saturday night. David Prowse's agent shared the news on Twitter, announcing the English weightlifter's passing with "great regret and heart-wrenching sadness for us and millions of fans around the world."
David Prowse's lesser-known facts
David Prowse was born in England in July 1935. Even though he had osteoarthritis, he was misdiagnosed with the knee's tuberculosis and forced to wear a leg splint for four years.
Mr. Prowse went on to compete for the Mr. Universe bodybuilding title in 1960 before becoming British champion for three straight years running, from 1962-64. David Prowse was one of the rare bodybuilders who could dead-lift 700 pounds at the age of 50.
George Lucas saw David Prowse in A Clockwork Orange and offered him a part in the first Star Wars movie. In one of the earlier interviews, Mr. Prowse stated that Lucas approached him and said that he could either become Chewbacca or play the movie's main villain's role. However, he was not aware that a Samurai-inspired helmet would cover his entire face, and his whole attire would weigh 40 pounds.
"Once [the mask] was fitted, I became virtually blind, and the heat generated by the suit obeyed the laws of physics and traveled upward, straight into the mash," Mr. Prowse wrote in his 2005 memoir. "This immediately misted up the eyepieces, which was inconvenient, to say the least, but was not an insurmountable problem so long as I could look down through the triangular cut-out beneath the mask's nose molding and use it as a spyhole."
David Prowse's other well-known work:
Even though the 85-year-old David Prowse was famous for portraying Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, he had also played several noted roles in the early 60s.
In three movies, David Prowse portrayed the Frankenstein monster: the James Bond spoof movie, Casino Royale, and Hammer films: The Horror of Frankenstein, and Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell.
David Prowse also appeared in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. In the cult classic movie, Prowse appeared as the muscular manservant working for author Frank Alexander.
Celebrity reactions on David Prowse's death:
Following the news that Darth Vader's star David Prowse has passed away, tributes from fans and Hollywood actors started to surface online.
Check out a couple of such reactions:
David Prowse' net worth:
As per Celebrity Net Worth, the 85-year-old David Prowse had a net worth of $3 million.
