James Earl Jones battled serious health condition for almost 30 years before death
According to the star his mother had the same condition, which should have "alerted" him to the risks
Legendary actor James Earl Jones, best known as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars series, died at the age of 93, it was announced Monday. His death, at his home in New York, has sparked an outpouring of tributes from both the public and Hollywood colleagues sharing their favourite memories of the award-winning entertainer.
His cause of death has not yet been revealed. However, the star had been battling a serious health condition for almost three decades.
While appearing on the Rachael Ray show in 2016, the Lion King actor shared how he had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the 1990s. He said: “I was lucky that it was discovered as it was quite by accident. I was in a centre for weight control and diet, trying to lose some weight and I fell asleep on the bench in the middle of the gymnasium one day.
“The doctor who was there said, ‘That’s not normal’, and he encouraged me to go and get checked out. Then I got a test and there it was, type 2 diabetes. It hit me like a thunderbolt.
“I had to retrain myself to be aware of when my body is telling me something. Usually with low blood sugar, it's easy to notice. With high blood sugar, it’s not as easy, and that can be the most dangerous aspect of type 2 diabetes.”
According to James, his mother was also a type 2 diabetic. He continued: “Older people are at risk, my mother had it. So I should’ve been alerted, but no. One thing I thought was, ‘It’s never gonna happen to me’. So when it was discovered, it was by accident. And I feel lucky.”
But he said that the condition did not halt his career: “I can live to the extent that I can do all the work I used to do 10 years ago,” he said.
“I love working, and at my age I still love being able to put in eight shows a week on a play or handle a long schedule if I'm doing film or television.
“I didn’t want that to stop, so I had to take responsibility for my condition. It’s more important that I address diabetes, because I will always be a diabetic.”
Jones is survived by his son Flynn Earl Jones. His second wife of 36 years, actor Cecilia Hart, died from ovarian cancer in 2016.
