Kenneth George "Kenny" Baker (August 24, 1934-August 13, 2016)

LONDON (AP) — Kenny Baker played the lovable droid R2-D2 in the “Star
Wars” films, achieving cult status and fans’ adulation without showing his
face or speaking any lines.

The 3-foot 8-inch performer — a word he preferred to actor — inside the
waste-bin-shaped costume has died at 81. Baker’s nephew and care giver,
Drew Myerscough, said he found Baker dead Saturday at his home in
Preston, northwest England. 

Myerscough told reporters that Baker had suffered years of breathing
problems, “which he had borne very bravely.” He said the affection of
“Star Wars” fans around the world “kept him going, without any doubt.”