Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in six of the Star Wars movies, has died. He had been ill for several years.

Baker appeared in Flash Gordon, Time Bandits and The Elephant Man too but he was most famous for inhabiting R2-D2 in Episodes I-VI of Star Wars. For the earliest films, the 3-foot-8-inch British actor would slide inside the R2-D2 costume and shake and spin to animate the beloved droid’s reactions to other characters’ dialogue.

Although he did not star in The Force Awakens —he had been restricted to a wheelchair by the time the newest Star Wars film was released—he was credited as a consultant on the film. Baker’s niece told The Guardian that he was invited to the premiere of the film, but he was too ill to attend. He was 81.

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(via Time)