Peter Mayhew.
(Image credit: Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)

Actor Peter Mayhew, best known for playing Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, died Tuesday at his home in Texas, his family announced Thursday. He was 74.

"He put his heart and soul into the role of Chewbacca and it showed in every frame of the films," his family said in a statement. Mayhew enjoyed traveling around the world meeting Star Wars fans, they added, and developed lifelong bonds with his co-stars.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.