--- title: Harrison Ford Bids Farewell to 'Star Wars' Co-Star Mayhew description: Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-3 foot actor who played Hans Solo's loyal sidekick Chewbaca in five Star Wars films, died Tuesday at the age of 74 canonical: https://time.com/5582566/harrison-ford-peter-mayhew/ author: Amy Gunia article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-03T02:43:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:26:42.146Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Harrison Ford Bids Farewell to 'Star Wars' Co-Star Mayhew og:description: Peter Mayhew played Han Solo's sidekick Chewbacca in five 'Star Wars' films og:url: https://time.com/5582566/harrison-ford-peter-mayhew/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d3c3744014b6ecf/69894964457a52fbc6d60fe1/peter-mayhew-harrison-ford.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: peter-mayhew-harrison-ford og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Harrison Ford Bids Farewell to 'Star Wars' Co-Star Mayhew twitter:description: Peter Mayhew played Han Solo's sidekick Chewbacca in five 'Star Wars' films twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d3c3744014b6ecf/69894964457a52fbc6d60fe1/peter-mayhew-harrison-ford.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'I Loved Him.' Harrison Ford Bids Farewell to _Star Wars_ Co-Star Peter Mayhew by [Amy Gunia](https://time.com/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. May 3, 2019 2:43 AM UTC  Peter Mayhew and Harrison Ford attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in London, England on Dec. 16, 2015. Peter Mayhew and Harrison Ford attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in London, England on Dec. 16, 2015.Anthony Harvey—Getty Images by [Amy Gunia](https://time.com/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. May 3, 2019 2:43 AM UTC Hollywood actor Harrison Ford gave a [heartfelt statement](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/harrison-ford-remembers-star-wars-star-peter-mayhew-i-loved-him-1207164) on his _Star Wars_ co-star Peter Mayhew’s death on Thursday. “[Peter Mayhew](http://time.com/5582527/peter-mayhew-chewbacca-star-wars-dies/) was a kind and gentle man, possessed of great dignity and noble character,” Ford said in a statement to _The Hollywood Reporter_. The 7-foot-3 actor played Chewbacca, the loyal sidekick to Han Solo, who was played by Ford. The famous Wookiee, who starred in five [_Star Wars_](http://time.com/tag/star-wars/) films, including the original trilogy, died at his Texas home on Tuesday at the age of 74. Ford said the duo’s unique bond extended beyond the silver screen. “We were partners in film and friends in life for over 30 years and I loved him. He invested his soul in the character and brought great pleasure to the _Star Wars_ audience,”[ Ford](http://time.com/5138174/harrison-ford-alden-ehrenreich-han-solo-advice/) said about his co-star, according to _The Hollywood Reporter_. **Read More:** [_‘The Gentlest of Giants.’ Star Wars Actors Honor Late Chewbacca Star Peter Mayhew_](http://time.com/5582539/star-wars-actors-mourn-peter-mayhew/) The Han Solo actor credited Mayhew’s character for the popularity of the legendary science fiction film series. “Chewbacca was an important part of the success of the films we made together. He knew how important the fans of the franchise were to its continued success and he was devoted to them. I and millions of others will never forget Peter and what he gave us all,” Ford said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5582566/harrison-ford-peter-mayhew/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5582566/harrison-ford-peter-mayhew/"},"headline":"'I Loved Him.' 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