James Earl Jones, Star Wars and The Lion King Voice Actor, Dead at 93

Hollywood has lost an acting legend.

James Earl Jones—the actor whose deep and resonant voice can be heard in Star Wars and The Lion King—died on Sept. 9 at home in Dutchess County, N.Y., his rep confirmed to multiple outlets. He was 93.

Born on Jan. 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, Miss., Jones spent much of his childhood in Michigan with his grandparents. During that time, Jones struggled with a severe stutter—an experience that eventually taught him the power of his own voice.

“As a small child, I would communicate to my family, or at least those who didn’t mind being embarrassed by my stutter,” he recalled in a 2010 interview with the Daily Mail. “By the time I got to school, my stuttering was so bad that I gave up trying to speak properly.”

However, Jones overcame his issues with speech through the help of an English teacher who got him “involved with words.”