James Earl Jones Dead At 93

A legend and true titan of the American entertainment industry has died.

According to reports on Monday afternoon, actor James Earl Jones has passed away. Per Deadline, which was among the first to report the news, the iconic actor died earlier on Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York. He was 93 years old.

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During his lifetime, Jones was widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time — both on stage and screen. He is one of the few entertainers to have ever earned the coveted EGOT, which consists of winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards in his career. And he has been in a variety of iconic films portraying memorable roles, most notably including turns as villain Darth Vader in Star Wars and author Terence Mann in Field Of Dreams.

Other notable roles for the star, who was born in 1931 in rural Arkabutla, Mississippi, include the voice of Mufasa in Disney‘s The Lion King in 1994. Also, Jones was tapped to record the famous “this is CNN” voiceover campaign for the news network years ago that has now itself become an iconic sound.

Still more of his notable on-screen credits include Conan The Barbarian, Coming To America, The Hunt For Red October, The Sandlot, Sneakers, and Patriot Games. He was nominated for an Oscar way back in 1971 for his role in The Great White Hope. He earned eight (!) Emmy nominations, as well — two of which he won the award for, both in 1991: Lead Actor in a Drama series for Gabriel’s Fire in 1991, and Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for Heat Wave. For good measure, he also appeared four times on The Simpsons during his lifetime.

On the Broadway stage, Jones won his two Tony Awards for performances as Jack Jefferson in The Great White Hope in 1969, and Troy Maxson in Fences in 1987. He also received a lifetime achievement special Tony Award at the show’s 2017 ceremony.

As if all that wasn’t enough, he was also celebrated in 2002 as a Kennedy Center honoree, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Board of Review in 1995, and another one from SAG-AFTRA in 2009. And amid all that, this (below) will certainly forever remain one of the most impressive movie monologues of all time:

We send our condolences to Jones’ family, friends, loved ones, and throngs of fans who will undoubtedly be mourning his passing. Jones’ death truly marks the end of an era in film and theater, and the end of one of the most charmed and impressive careers in Hollywood history. So sad…

R.I.P.

[Image via MEGA/WENN]