James Earl Jones Passes Away At The Age Of 93

It is with tears welling up in my eyes that I write Variety is reporting that James Earl Jones has passed at the age of 93. I'll be honest, this is a selfish sadness. I feel like I'm grieving for myself instead of the man. 93 is a life well lived and something to be celebrated. When someone passes it's always sad, but when a person reaches nonagenarian status, part of me is glad they squeezed so much time out of this spinning blue green ball. It's not tragic like an untimely death such as Ms. Fisher.

This one is hitting me hard because my adoration of Darth Vader stems directly from my father, who I likewise adored and who passed away in 2016. While I was, and will always be a Luke fanboy, my dad latched on to the greatest Villain in the history of cinema. Going to see the three Original Trilogy Star Wars movies with my dad are the greatest memories of my childhood. It was the story of a father and son shared by a father and son. The day we saw Return of the Jedi for the first time, ranks in the top 10 best days of my life. If the theater were still standing, I could take you to the exact seats we sat in 41 years ago. This makes the passing of James Earl Jones feel like a poxy death in some ways.

Rest in peace, Mr. Jones, and my heartfelt condolences to your family.

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