Peter Mayhew, the actor best known as Chewbacca in the Star Wars film franchise, showed he has a heart big enough to match the giant, lovable Wookie he portrays.
In posts on Twitter and Reddit, Mayhew has been helping fans cope with the loss of actress Carrie Fisher, who starred as Princess Leia, and who died on Dec. 27 at the age of 60.
A post by Mayhew on Reddit over the weekend was titled “It’s okay to grieve,” and in it, Mayhew said it’s been a difficult week for the Star Wars family.
It’s okay to grieve.
Our Princess: We in the Star Wars family have had a very difficult week with the passing of Carrie Fisher, and her mother. We are grieving. For most of us, it’s real grief, whether you met her or not, we all knew her. But it’s New Year’s weekend, and a lot of us will be getting together with “our family” to ring in the New Year. If you are at a show where we are, and plan to stop by our table, we want you to know it’s ok. Talk about Carrie, mention her, share condolences. We grieve with you. And then, tell a joke and be happy, because it’s what she would want us to do. She was a one of a kind, the emotional roller coaster is one we are all riding on together. Most importantly, as in all things Carrie Fisher, be real. May the Force be with you.
Peter Mayhew
On the day of Fisher’s death, Mayhew, who tweets under the handle @TheWookieRoars, shared a couple images of himself with his friend and co-star, saying he would miss her dearly.
There are no words for this loss. Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly. pic.twitter.com/GgIeYGeMt9
— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) December 27, 2016
Mayhew also shared his thoughts in a TV interview in which he said Fisher was “just brilliant” and had “a sense of humor like nobody else.”
The two last starred together in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
#CarrieOn because that's what she would have wanted. @carrieffisher pic.twitter.com/zCwqEtOkLB
— Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) December 31, 2016
