Mark Hamill has paid tribute to his fellow Star Wars cast member Dave Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original trilogy. It was announced over the weekend that Prowse has died at the age of 85 following a short illness.

"So sad to hear David Prowse has passed," Hamill wrote on Twitter. "He was a kind man & much more than Darth Vader. Actor-Husband-Father-Member of the Order of the British Empire-3 time British Weightlifting Champion & Safety Icon the Green Cross Code Man. He loved his fans as much as they loved him."

Torchwood and Legends of Tomorrow actor John Barrowman is another actor to have paid his respects to Prowse, who also worked as a personal trainer.

"Dave Prowse has passed away," Barrowman wrote on Twitter. "We knew him best as Darth Vader.  Dave got me into shape/trained me for my Role in Matador. He was a genuine, kind, loving man, loved life, family, fitness and his fans...His smile will be missed."

Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright, who grew up near Prowse's hometown of Bristol, has also paid tribute to the late star on Twitter.

"As a kid Dave Prowse couldn’t be more famous to me; stalking along corridors as evil incarnate in the part of Darth Vader & stopping a whole generation of kiddies from being mown down in street as the Green Cross Code man," wrote the filmmaker. "Rest in Peace, Bristol’s finest."

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This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Clark Collis