It looks as though the legendary Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew has been hospitalised with pneumonia… but is said to be recovering well.
The 70-year-old British Star Wars actor is well known for the role of Chewbacca – taking to the skies alongside Han Solo throughout the original trilogy. But the legendary Wookiee was taken into hospital on Sunday, and is currently being treated for pneumonia.
Originally announced via a tweet from Star Wars fan Chris Bartlett, Mayhew’s appearance at a comic book store in Texas had been cancelled…
“Peter Mayhew was hospitalized late last night with pneumonia and will not be appearing today,” said a notice on the shop door. “Please join the Madness team in sending our thoughts to Peter and his wife Angie for a speedy recovery.”
And his wife Angie later confirmed that Peter had been taken into hospital.
“Thank you for all the well wishes, prayers, good vibes, and happy thoughts,” she said via Reddit. “Peter is indeed in the hospital with pneumonia. He will make a full recovery, and hope to be discharged within a few days. Doctors are incredibly happy with his improvements.”
And today, Peter’s web team reiterated that he’s doing well.
This isn’t the first time Mayhew has experienced health difficulties after undergoing a double knee replacement just months before starting filming of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But thankfully, the Wookiee continues to roar.
[Star Wars VII’s Female Stormtrooper]
From all of us here at ScreenJolt, we wish Peter a swift and speedy recovery. And we all hope he’s fighting fit and ready to go for the next instalment – Star Wars VII.
Star Wars VII heads to cinemas on 18 December 2015.
Are you looking forward to seeing Chewbacca return? Do you have a get well soon message for Peter? Let us know in the comments below…
