Star wars: Tony dyson, builder of r2-d2, dies

Tony Dyson, the man who built Star Wars’ R2-D2, has passed away.

The news was confirmed in a message from Dyson’s friend and business partner Brenda Thomas posted to Imgur. The cause of death has not been revealed at this time.

“It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that my good friend & business partner Tony Dyson has passed away. Tony never met a stranger always smiling talking to his fans and just being Tony. You will truly be missed not only by me but with the whole Star Wars Universe. I will see you again someday and we will have a ball again and yes you can chase R3 again. Miss you already MTFBWYA!” Thomas wrote.

Dyson ran his own studio called The White Horse Toy Company in the UK at the time he built R2-D2, which first appeared in the original Star Wars movie back in 1977. R2’s most recent appearance was in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.