The Star Wars community was saddened by the passing of Kenny Baker, the actor who portrayed fan-favorite astromech droid R2-D2 in the first six films of the franchise.
Lucas was also quite fond of Baker, and reflected upon the actor’s contributions to the films in a statement.
For Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII, Jimmy Vee took over the role, continuing the tradition that Baker started 40 years ago.
There is no Star Wars without R2-D2, and Kenny defined who R2-D2 was and is.