'Star Wars' Legends Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford Mourn Death of Peter Mayhew

The cast of Star Wars has banded together to mourn the death of the beloved actor Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the original trilogy.

Mayhew passed away on April 30, and his co-stars from the last 40 years took to the internet to mourn the actor who brought the iconic Wookie to life in the films.

Mark Hamill, a.k.a Luke Skywalker, posted his condolences on Twitter. He described the actor as, "A big man with an even bigger heart who never failed to make me smile & a loyal friend who I loved dearly."

Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo--Chewie's closest companion in the films--opened up in a similarly sentimental and touching way. In a statement provided by his publicist to The Hollywood Reporter, Ford said:

"Peter Mayhew was a kind and gentle man, possessed of great dignity and noble character. These aspects of his own personality, plus his wit and grace, he brought to Chewbacca. We were partners in film and friends in life for over 30 years and I loved him. He invested his soul in the character and brought great pleasure to the Star Wars audience. Chewbacca was an important part of the success of the films we made together. He knew how important the fans of the franchise were to its continued success and he was devoted to them. I and millions of others will never forget Peter and what he gave us all.  My thoughts are with his dear wife Angie and his children. Rest easy, my dear friend…. "

Our thoughts are with all of Mayhew's friends and family.

[h/t: USA Today]