Remembering Iconic Actor James Earl Jones Through His Greatest Quotes About Life

The world of entertainment stood still when it was announced that iconic actor James Earl Jones died on the morning of September 9, 2024, at age 93. His death was confirmed by his agent Barry McPherson, but how he died still remains unknown. 

Jones was born in 1931, and is best known for his work in Star Wars (1977 to 2022) as the voice of Darth Vader and The Lion King (1994 to 2019) as the voice of Mufasa. He was married twice and had one child. 

Before his death, Jones had earned a Grammy Award, three Tony Awards, an Oscar and three Emmys, making him one of 21 people ever to achieve EGOT status. 

To honor the late and great actor, we have rounded up the best things he said about his career, life and more . Keep scrolling to read his words. 

James Earl Jones’ quotes on ‘Star Wars’ 

Jones served as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode VI - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), Star Wars: Rebels (2014 to 2016), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). 

Needless to say, he adored the role, but Jones believed that the only reason he got the part was because filmmaker George Lucas wanted someone with a “dark voice. So he hires a guy born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. And that’s the voice. That’s me. I lucked out, from all these so-called handicaps, for a job that paid $7,000. And I thought that was good money. And I got to be a voice in a movie.”

James Earl Jones’ quotes on having type 2 diabetes

Amidst all of his Lion King and Star Wars chaos, Jones took the time to reveal that he had type 2 diabetes, a disease that impacts  over 38 million Americans. 

"I had gone to a diet and exercise program hoping to lose some weight and ended up falling asleep sitting on a bench in the gymnasium. My doctor, who happened to be there, said that's not normal. He encouraged me to go get a test, and I did — and there it was: type 2 diabetes. It hit me like a thunderbolt,” the late actor revealed in 2018. 

"I had to retrain myself to be aware of when my body is telling me something. Usually, low blood sugar is easy to notice. With high blood sugar, it's not as easy, and that can be the most dangerous aspect of type 2 diabetes."

He finished that interview by saying, “I love working, and at my age, I still love being able to put in eight shows a week on a play or handle a long schedule if I'm doing film or television. I didn't want that to stop, so I had to take responsibility for my condition."

James Earl Jones’ quotes on his wife, Cecilia Hart

Jones and Hart got married in March 1982, and remained together until her death in October 2016. They had one child together. 

“She made me laugh. She was stimulating, and she did not seem to take me seriously at all, which meant I could relax and be myself with her,” Jones wrote in his memoir Voices and Silences, which was released in 1993. 

James Earl Jones’ quotes on how he spent his days 

Despite his busy workload, the actor actually had a very normal day-to-day routine. 

In 2014, he told The Washington Post, “Rest is important, and it’s hard to get on this schedule, But I try to get eight hours every night. Which is not something I’m used to. I’m used to staying up until 1 o’clock or 2 o’clock. But my wife feeds me well, [and] I do moderate exercise on the treadmill or the step-up, just to get the heart going.” 

May James Earl Jones rest in peace. 

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