The voice of one of the most iconic characters in the entire Star Wars saga has passed away suddenly this weekend. Mark Dodson, the voice of Salacious Crumb in Return of the Jedi, various ewoks in Battle for Endor and a variety of characters in The Force Awakens died in his sleep in Evansville, Indiana ahead of attending this weekends Horror Con. He was 64, and leaves behind a wonderful legacy of characters including those from the galaxy far, far away and closer to home in Gremlins and its sequel.
Mark, who also voiced the little creatures in Gremlins, had flown to Indiana for the fan event, which is set to take place this weekend. The actor checked into his hotel room, which is where he suffered a “massive heart attack” while sleeping, according to TMZ.
Mark’s first big break in Hollywood came in 1983 when he was cast as the voice of Salacious Crumb in Return of the Jedi, a character which was well-known for his high-pitched voice. A year later, he was cast as the voice of Mogwai in Gremlins.
He returned to the Gremlins universe in 1990 to star in Gremlins 2: The New Batch. He also worked on the 1985 horror film Day of the Dead, before appearing in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
Our condolences go out to his family, friends and many colleagues.
