Star Wars Actor Dies From COVID

Kenneth Colley, a veteran British actor who appeared in two Star Wars films, died last Monday at his home in England, surrounded by friends, after contracting COVID while hospitalized for an arm injury he suffered in a fall. Colley, 87, then developed pneumonia, his agent said in a statement praising Colley as "one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years." His career spanned stage, the big screen, and the small screen, and due to his role as Admiral Piett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, he also appeared at conventions and fan events around the globe, the BBC reports.

He also voiced Piett, an imperial officer who ends up commanding Darth Vader's flagship, in 2012's animated Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out. He didn't initially expect to appear again after Empire, he once recalled: "I got a call from my agent saying there's been a lot of fan mail about this character and George [Lucas] has decided to put him in the next one, do you want to do it?" But his career encompassed much more, per the Hollywood Reporter, including the role of Jesus in Monty Python's Life of Brian as well as other work with Monty Python members including director Terry Gilliam. Colley also appeared in seven of director Ken Russell's feature films.