Peter Mayhew, The Original Actor For Chewbacca, Has Died Javy Gwaltney Peter Mayhew, the actor best known for serving as the original Chewbacca in Star Wars, has died. Mayhew's family broke the news that the actor had passed away in his sleep at the age of 74 on April 30: The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home. pic.twitter.com/YZ5VLyuK0u — Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 2, 2019 In addition to playing the beloved Chewie in every Star Wars adaptation up until The Last Jedi (Finnish actor Joonas Suotamo took over the role), Mayhew was also a philanthropist whose organization, The Mayhew Foundation, has supported many international charity causes. A fan-focused memorial service for Mayhew will be held at Empirecon, a Los Angeles-based convention dedicated to all things Star Wars, in December. http://bit.ly/2ZUXQWO