Star Wars: Iconic actor Kenneth Colley, who played Admiral Piett, dies after contracting COVID
One of the Star Wars franchise’s most iconic actors has died after developing pneumonia due to complications from a bout of COVID.
Kenneth Colley, 87, played the part of Captain, then Admiral Piett on board Darth Vader’s star cruiser and roving command centre in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
In some of the most gripping scenes captured in the two movies, Vader terrorised his own crew with Colley’s character shuddering as he gained a promotion while standing next to his choking cohort who Vader proclaimed had “failed him for the last time”.
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After taking a turn for the worse in hospital, Colley’s long term agent Julian Owen released a statement saying the actor had died peacefully on Monday in Ashford, Kent in the UK.
“He had been admitted after a fall with an injured arm, however he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia, the statement published in The Sun said
“He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside.”
Colley had performed in various stage shows, movies and television productions in a career that spanned over 60 years, and could also lay claim to another iconic film character as Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian alongside comedy legends John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Michael Palin.
“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,” Mr Owen added in the statement.
As the Star Wars universe enjoyed a resurgence in the early 2000’s, Colley was able to return as Admiral Priett, voicing the character in the 2012 animated Lego production, Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.
A crowd favourite at comic con expo’s and Star Wars signing days the English actor was revered by fans and his peers for a range of roles in various arenas
“Ken’s favourite part was playing Estragon in the stage production of Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot at the Cockpit Theatre in London in 2014,” Mr Owen added.
“Ken’s participation in Star Wars led him to being invited to conventions and official fan events all over the World where he remains one of the best loved actors from the original trilogy.
“Ken loved his garden, art collecting and had a passion for fast cars.”
