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Star Wars actor dies aged 87: Kenneth Colley who starred in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi passes away after catching Covid in hospital
UK Daily Mail ^ | 07/03/2025 | ROBERT FOLKER

Posted on 07/03/2025 7:45:57 AM PDT by DFG

Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley has died at the age of 87 after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia.

The English film and television actor is best known for starring in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as Admiral Piett, an imperial officer in command of Darth Vader's flagship.

His agent of 10 years, Julian Owen issued a statement which said that he died 'peacefully' on Monday, June 30, in Ashford, Kent.

After injuring his arm after a fall, he was taken to hospital where he caught Covid, which developed into pneumonia.

The statement from his agent said: 'He had been admitted after a fall with an injured arm, however he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia.

'He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside. Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years.

'Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python's Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure for the BBC.'

In later years, he reprised his role of Admiral Piett when he voiced the character in the 2012 animated Lego production, Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.

According to Colley, the character of Piett was not originally slated to appear in Return of the Jedi, but George Lucas added him because Lucasfilm had received 'a lot of fan mail' about the character.

He also had parts in international productions, including Clint Eastwood's Firefox and the Second World War series War and Remembrance.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: starwars
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1 posted on 07/03/2025 7:45:57 AM PDT by DFG
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To: DFG

RIP.

I’m sure he had the “protective” jabs :-(


2 posted on 07/03/2025 7:46:54 AM PDT by Jane Long (Jesus is Lord!)
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To: DFG

Anything to revive the covid hysteria.


3 posted on 07/03/2025 7:47:26 AM PDT by chuckb87
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To: DFG

Was it Covid, or did he fail a certain someone for the last time?


4 posted on 07/03/2025 7:47:44 AM PDT by FlipWilson
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To: DFG
I enjoyed his roles.

He was Jesus in that misunderstood Sermon on the Mount sketch? The people were too far away and thought they heard, “Blessed are the cheesemakers.”

5 posted on 07/03/2025 7:48:18 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: DFG

He may have died “with” COVID, but I’m pretty sure he died “from” being strangled by Darth Vader’s mind.


6 posted on 07/03/2025 7:50:44 AM PDT by x
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To: DFG

Dying at 87 is nothing to be choked up about.


7 posted on 07/03/2025 7:54:27 AM PDT by Sirius Lee ("Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”)
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To: DFG

He fell, got Covid, got pneumonia and it is due to Covid, not improper sanitation.


8 posted on 07/03/2025 8:04:21 AM PDT by alternatives?
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To: ConservativeMind

The cheesemakers are pretty ding dang high on This Guy’s list. FWIW. lol


9 posted on 07/03/2025 8:05:58 AM PDT by one guy in new jersey
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To: DFG

More medical misadventure. He would have been better to stay at home with his arm in a sling.


10 posted on 07/03/2025 8:08:01 AM PDT by DesertRhino (2016 Star Wars, 2020 The Empire Strikes Back, 2025... RETURN OF THE JEDI….There’s really not much to)
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To: DFG

Great line: “Our first catch of the day” but instead of a spaceship, they catch a huge energy beam.


11 posted on 07/03/2025 8:08:56 AM PDT by \/\/ayne (I regret that I have but one subscription cancellation notice to give to my local newspaper)
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To: ConservativeMind

Well, obviously it’s not meant to be taken literally, it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products....


12 posted on 07/03/2025 8:10:04 AM PDT by DesertRhino (2016 Star Wars, 2020 The Empire Strikes Back, 2025... RETURN OF THE JEDI….There’s really not much to)
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To: DFG

Rest In Peace, Kenneth.


13 posted on 07/03/2025 8:20:16 AM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: FlipWilson

Maybe. If he did, I hope he went knowing his apology was accepted.


14 posted on 07/03/2025 8:23:00 AM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: DFG

I wonder if an actor like him (not at all a big name, but in a hugely popular movie) would get recognized on the street?


15 posted on 07/03/2025 8:24:48 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: DFG

And for “Covid”....the CDC is hiding the fact that a little bit of Ivermectin probably would have saved his life!


16 posted on 07/03/2025 8:41:14 AM PDT by high info voter (Delivery )
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To: DFG

Not the C-word shit again.


17 posted on 07/03/2025 8:45:03 AM PDT by HIDEK6 (God bless Donald Trump)
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To: alternatives?

My child brought home COVID earlier this year, passed it to me.

Turned into pneumonia and I had to go to the hospital for it.

Covid ravaged my lungs back in 2020. Each subsequent infection causes additional scarring. Now Stage 2 COPD. When I go out into groups, I have to wear the N95 mask. Hate them, but hate the hospital bills even more.


18 posted on 07/03/2025 8:48:24 AM PDT by TheWriterTX (🇺🇸✝️🙏🇮🇱)
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To: DFG

So the hospital killed him due to poor sanitation.


19 posted on 07/03/2025 9:04:22 AM PDT by frogjerk
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To: DFG

If you can catch COVID in a hospital, supposedly a sanitized setting, what good is a mask or any other fascist dicate going to do to “slow the spread”?


20 posted on 07/03/2025 9:05:22 AM PDT by frogjerk
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