Peter Mayhew RIP · 9:43pm May 4th, 2019
There are people of a certain age (like me and my two younger siblings) who remember going to see "Star Wars" for the first time. My Dad was against us seeing it at first because it had a PG rating, but when our neighbors told him there was no vulgarity or sex in it, he took us to see it. We loved it. Before long, every kid in the neighborhood was playing "Star Wars". We didn't need fancy costumes, though some had masks. The big boy across the street from us, tied a towel around his neck and he was Darth Vader. My Dad made my brother a light saber from a translucent plastic tube, which he attached to a small block of wood with black electrical tape. Soon, all the kids were begging my Dad for their own homemade light saber.
Whenever we played, most of the boys ended up being Stormtroopers. The good guy roles were played by the girls. My sister was Princess Leia. A pair of sisters from up the street were Luke and Han. I wore a sash like it was a bandoleer... and I was Chewbacca. Like Peter Mayhew who played the Wookie in six of the Star Wars movies, I was mainly chosen because of my height. I was the tallest of the girls and a little burly. I didn't really do much. I just followed the other girls around and exchanged fire with the enemy. Now that I think about it, I didn't even have Chewbacca's bowcaster! I just carried a pine stick that was slightly shaped like a gun.
When I learned of Peter Mayhew's death, I texted my brother the news. My brother was...and is...a rabid Star Wars fan. When he was little, he had all the action figures and the playsets. He decorated the upstairs bathroom in his house with everything Star Wars. He even made sure his kids watched the movies and took them to see the sequels. My brother's response to the text was a very heartfelt "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooogggggggghhhhhhh, Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
A lot of actors and celebrities that I remember from my youth are gone and it does leave a hole. Even though I hardly saw Mayhew without his costume, I will remember him fondly. Rest in Peace.
