Peter Mayhew, the 7’3″ actor who played Chewbacca in the ‘Star Wars’ cinematic franchise, has died at the age of 74.

Harrison Ford, whose Han Solo character was bonded for life in the ‘Star Wars’ universe with Peter Mayhew’s Chewbacca character, wrote down his reaction to learning of his now late friend.

“Peter Mayhew was a kind and gentle man, possessed of great dignity and noble character. These aspects of his own personality, plus his wit and grace, he brought to Chewbacca. We were partners in film and friends in life for over 30 years and I loved him. He invested his soul in the character and brought great pleasure to the Star Wars audience. Chewbacca was an important part of the success of the films we made together. He knew how important the fans of the franchise were to its continued success and he was devoted to them. I and millions of others will never forget Peter and what he gave us all.  My thoughts are with his dear wife Angie and his children. Rest easy, my dear friend….”

An interesting tidbit of behind the scenes ‘Star Wars’ trivia reported by the Hollywood Reporter is that “Mayhew once said he got the part just by director George Lucas seeing him and being baffled by his 7-foot-2 stature.”

One of the best scenes between Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew as their iconic characters occurred in their return appearance together, after many decades apart, in the 2015 global blockbuster ‘The Force Awakens.’

And one of the best characteristics of Chewie was his signature growl/voice.

RIP Peter Mayhew.