“It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless,” said Abigail Shield, Baker’s niece. ”He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world.”

In the YouTube interview, Baker said he initially turned down the role of R2-D2. “I don’t need to be stuck in a robot,” Baker recalled saying. Had he known what a success Star Wars would become, Baker said he would have worked for less in the beginning, when franchise creator George Lucas “didn’t have a penny.”

“It’s all in hindsight,” he said, “but I should have done it for nothing.”

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