“Star Wars” and “Gremlins” voice actor Mark Dodson died Saturday at the age of 64 before he was scheduled to appear at a horror convention, according to TMZ.
Dodson reportedly died after suffering a “massive heart attack” while asleep at a hotel in Evansville, Indiana ahead of his planned appearance at HorrorCon, his daughter revealed in a statement to TMZ.
Mark Dodson has sadly passed away at the age of 64.
The actor voiced Mogwai in ‘Gremlins’ and Salacious Crumb in ‘Return of the Jedi’. pic.twitter.com/92EcINpa9r
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 3, 2024
Dodson’s daughter, Ciara, remembered her father fondly, stating he “never ceased making me proud,” according to TMZ.
The Evansville Horror Con published a tribute to the deceased actor in a Facebook post.
“We are heartbroken to announce the sudden passing of Mark Dodson last night.” the post reads. “Mark was not only a talented voice actor but also a cherished member of the horror community.”
Stellar Appearances, Dodson’s talent agency, also released a statement on Facebook following the actor’s death. The talent agency stated that Dodson’s career involved work in radio, voice acting, production and attending conventions over four decades.
“Mark’s career spanned more than four decades as a radio man, voice actor, producer and fan favorite of convention attendees across the world,” the statement read. “Mark was best known for being the voice of some of movies most iconic characters in some of Hollywood’s most popular movies.” (RELATED: New Star Wars Movie Announced)
Dodson had his first role voicing Salacious Crumb in the film “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” in 1983. Soon after, he voiced Mogwais and the Gremlins in the 1984 film “Gremlins,” according to IMDB. Dodson went on to voice characters in titles including “Day of the Dead” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” He also voiced characters in video games, including “Ghostrunner II,” “Bendy and the Dark Revival,” “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” and “Ghostrunner.”