James Earl Jones, the man behind the Star Wars character Darth Vader's iconic voice, has died at the age of 93. After Jones' death, several Star Wars fans wondered if his voice would continue with the franchise, as it has gained an iconic status, alongside his voice as Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King.
Jones' agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.
Back in September 2022, Jones stepped down from voicing Darth Vader, due to health reasons. He revealed that he had been suffering from diabetes since the 1990s, and it had gotten worse. He then signed off the rights to the voice of Darth Vader to Lucasfilm, a Disney subsidiary handing the Star Wars franchise. It was synthesised and developed by the Ukrainian AI startup, called Respeecher.
Related News | 
James Earl Jones Family: All On Wife Cecilia Hart, Ex-wife Julienne Marie And Son Flynn Earl Jones
Also read: James Earl Jones Family: All On Wife Cecilia Hart, Ex-wife Julienne Marie And Son Flynn Earl Jones
The AI-generated voice of Jones in Darth Vader was developed from "archival recordings and a proprietary AI algorithm to create new dialogue with the voices of performers from long ago," and was first used in the Star Wars spin-off Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries.
Beyond his voice roles, Jones starred in several films, including Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and The Hunt for Red October (1990).
Following his death, Disney released a statement, reiterating that he was a Disney legend, after being honored as one at the D23 Expo in 2013.
Apart from the films, Disney said that Jones' "voice has been heard in Disney Parks around the world, including recurring vocal performances as Darth Vader in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue and as a celebrity narrator for the Candlelight Ceremony and Processional at Disneyland Park."