The legendary actor, James Earl Jones, breathed his last Monday morning. He was 93 years old at the time of his demise. According to news from his representative to Variety, the actor passed away in his Dutchess County home Monday morning. Jones, who was a prolific theater actor as well, will be heavily remembered as the voice of  The Darth Vader in Star Wars. 

Confirming the news of his demise, the X handle of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan paid their respect on social media. They wrote, “James Earl Jones, a 1955 graduate of the University of Michigan, has passed away at the age of 93. Rest in peace to an iconic, legendary, and incomparable Wolverine.”

Well, while James Earl Jones was a coveted alumnus of the prestigious University, the institution seems to have a knack for producing champions. As Earl Jones went on to rule the silver screen, there are a couple of Olympic champions Paul Juda and Fred Richard ruling the proceedings currently.

Similar to Earl Jones, both Juda and Richard are proud Wolverines. For instance, Fred Richard made his debut for Michigan in the 2022-23 session. Displaying unmatched skills in his maiden season, Richard was part of the national team that featured in the DTB Pokal Team Challenge.

His antics in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship helped Michigan University finish as the runner-up. Richard notched up an impressive 83.999 in the all-around and 14.400 in the still rings. On both occasions, the young gymnast did enough to clinch the second place. 

Meanwhile, Paul Juda started to show glimpses of his incredible talents for the Wolverines in 2020. While his debut season was cut short by covid, Juda blossomed in the following season winning thirteen event titles in total. Nurturing himself within the realms of Michigan gymnastics, Juda made significant progress in the subsequent years. While he helped his college team finish in the top 3, Juda clinched Michigan’s first-floor title in the 2024 NCAA season since 1992. Looking at how well Richard and Juda had been performing, it was no surprise when they qualified for the Paris Olympics. Together with Asher Hong, Brody Malone, and the team, Paul Juda and Fred Richard made history in Paris. They became the first US Men’s gymnastics team to win an Olympic medal in 15 years. Now, while the accolades of the current Michigan University star students look amazing, the profile of the former Wolverine, James Earl Jones also looks dazzling.

Looking back at James Earl Jones’ decorated career

When James Earl Jones stuttered as a child, nobody thought that his voice would go on to become one of the iconic voices of all time. Popularly known for voice-acting the villainous Darth Vader in Star Wars, Jones became a legend. He started his acting journey on Broadway, at the Cort Theater back in 1958. His larger-than-life stature made the theater honor Jones by renaming it to the James Earl Jones Theater in 2022. 

The veteran actor also lent his voice to another iconic character- King Mufasa of The Lion King. Jones was initially dubbed for Disney’s animated feature in 1994. However, later, he went on to continue as King Mufasa’s voice in the direct-to-video sequel in 1998 and the remake in 2019. He also starred in a host of other popular films including ‘Field of Dreams’, ‘Conan The Barbarian’, and ‘Coming To America’. His emphatic acting skills earned him a couple of Emmy awards along with a prestigious Grammy. 

Earl Jones also won the honorary Oscar in 2011. Back in 1971, Earl Jones was nominated for the Best Actor category at the Academy Awards. This made him only the second Black actor to share the honor after Sidney Poitier. Thus, with the passing of James Earl Jones, a gaping hole has been created in the industry. It now remains to be seen how the void is being filled by the upcoming stars of tomorrow.