Culture

Tributes Roll In For The Late Kenny Baker, The Man Inside R2D2

RIP R2D2.

by Tom Clift  14 August 2016

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

Actors, filmmakers and Star Wars fans around the globe have turned to the web to mourn the death of actor Kenny Baker, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 81 after a long battle with illness. The 3 ft 8 British actor was best known for playing diminutive robot R2D2 in the first six Star Wars movies, as well for rolls in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits and David Lynch’s The Elephant Man.

His original trilogy co-star Mark Hamill took to Twitter, where he called Baker “a lifelong loyal friend,” adding “he WAS the droid I was looking for!”

Series creator George Lucas also expressed his condolences in a statement posted to StarWars.com. “Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances,” said Lucas. “A talented vaudevillian who could always make everybody laugh, Kenny was truly the heart and soul of R2-D2 and will be missed by all his fans and everyone who knew him.”

Lucas’ sentiment was reflected by many others who worked with or admired Baker, including actor Warwick Davis. Davis played the Ewok Wicket in Return of the Jedi, and said that Baker “paved the way for short actors of a generation.”