Empire State Building Pays ‘Star Wars’ Themed Tribute To James Earl Jones

The internet has been buzzing with tributes since legendary actor James Earl Jones died, and the Empire State Building did not forget to pay their respects to the icon. The historical structure was lit up with an image of Earl’s Star Wars character, Darth Vader.

The official Instagram and X accounts of the Empire State Building both left the note “Rest In Peace Lord Vader” on their posts. This was accompanied by a photo of the lit-up skyscraper with a silhouette of Vader.

‘Star Wars’ fans react to the Empire State Building’s tribute

The Empire State Building’s tribute to Earl went viral in no time, reaching nearly 16 million views on X, plus thousands of comments. “Star Wars isn’t Star Wars without that James Earl Jones voice.  Perfection on audio,” a nostalgic fan wrote, while another agreed that he would be greatly missed.

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A user named Michael mourned a part of his childhood, acknowledging Earl’s role as Mufasa in the original Lion King animation. “‘The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner, but now I am the master,’” someone else picked up, with a quote from one of the Star Wars movies. The comments were also flooded with photos of Earl from over the years, proving the actor’s impact was tremendous.

James Earl Jones’ ‘Star Wars’ run

Earl made his debut as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise in 1977 and would reprise his role in subsequent sequels, including 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in 1983. Despite his impressive delivery, Earl refused to be credited for the first two movies but was acknowledged in the series after those.

He explained that his character was simply special effects and did not do much; however, by the third film, he gave in to being credited. Earl’s unique voice landed him more voice-over acting roles, and his talent and diligence earned him EGOT status, meaning he is one of the few in Hollywood with at least an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award.