Peter Mayhew. The “Gentle Giant” behind Han Solo’s furry co-pilot Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, passed away this week. He was 74 years old.
According to his Twitter account, his family was by his side in his Texas home when he passed on Tuesday.
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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. pic.twitter.com/YZ5VLyuK0u
— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 2, 2019
Mayhew first played Chewie in 1977, and continued his role until 2015 with The Force Awakens. He was even there for the now infamous “Christmas Special” in which we meet Chewbacca’s Family. Most fans credit Mayhew’s body language and expressiveness which made Chewie more than just a “Walking Carpet”.

Over the summer he had undergone spinal surgery, hoping to improve his mobility.
A private memorial will take in June, Mayhew is survived by his wife Angie and three children.