Kenny Baker, the actor behind the legendary astromech droid R2-D2 in the Star Wars series, has died, after a long illness. He was 81.
The 3 ft 8 in actor played the lovable Artoo in all six original Star Wars movies. He was credited in last year's The Force Awakens as "R2-D2 consultant".
Born in Birmingham in 1934, Baker was performing as part of a comedy double-act when he was spotted by George Lucas in 1976, who recruited him to play the plucky robot. The character quickly became a fan favourite, and Baker became a regular sight at Star Wars fan conventions.
Baker recognised that his role acting inside a robot was in danger of being phased out with the advent of CGI. "I know they know that I know that they don't really need me," he told Empire in 2002. "They could replace me for sure. But that's the kind of guy George [Lucas] is - he's a wonderful man who sticks by his colleagues." Baker retired from the role after The Force Awakens, with R2-D2 to be played by Jimmy Vee in future films.
His niece, Abigail Shield, told The Guardian: “It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.”