Voice actor Mark Dodson has died aged 64.
Voice actor Mark Dodson has died aged 64
The star, who voiced characters in ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ and ‘Gremlins’ was killed by a “massive” heart attack while sleeping when he was in Evansville, Indiana, to attend Horror Con, his daughter Ciara has confirmed.
She told TMZ of his death and added to the outlet her dad loved attending fan conventions and said he “never ceased making me proud”.
Mark had travelled to Indiana for the fan event, set to take place this weekend, and reportedly checked into his hotel room, which is where he suffered a “massive heart attack” while asleep, according to TMZ.
He got his big break in Hollywood in 1983 when he was cast as the voice of high-pitched character Salacious Crumb in ‘Return of the Jedi’, and a year later was cast in his most beloved role of Mogwai in ‘Gremlins’.
Mark reprised his part as the creature in 1990’s ‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch’ and worked on the 1985 horror film ‘Day of the Dead’, before also appearing in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in 2015.
Mark also voiced characters in video games and advertisements.
His representative told TMZ Mark added his “unique voice and sound” to “each character and script he touched”.
The Peter Mayhew Foundation, set up in memory of the actor who played Chewbacca in the ‘Star Wars’ film franchise, was among those who shared a tribute for Mark on social media, writing: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we learn of the passing of Mark Dodson. Mark was genuine and funny and the characters he brought to life will always be as iconic as he was kind. Thank you for everything Mark, you are missed.”