Whoopi Goldberg Honors James Earl Jones as ‘One of the Greatest’

Whoopi Goldberg Honors James Earl Jones as ‘One of the Greatest’

Whoopi Goldberg paid a heartfelt tribute to her friend and The Lion King co-star James Earl Jones on The View following his passing on Monday at the age of 93.

On Tuesday’s episode, Goldberg took a moment to remember Jones, whose iconic voice brought life to characters such as Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King and Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga. “Before we go, we want to send our condolences out to the family of James Earl Jones. He was one of the greatest,” Goldberg said before a commercial break, with cohost Joy Behar adding that Jones was “the best” at his craft.

Goldberg reminisced about their collaboration on The Lion King, where she voiced the villainous hyena Shenzi. “We just wanted to make sure that we didn’t lose this opportunity to say we lost another phenomenally great actor,” Goldberg noted.

According to a representative for Jones, the actor passed away peacefully at his home in Dutchess County, New York, surrounded by loved ones. The representative described Jones as “a great man and actor.”

Jones’ passing has sparked numerous tributes from colleagues and fans. Kevin Costner, who worked with Jones on the 1989 film Field of Dreams, expressed his gratitude on Instagram: “Just hearing the news of James Earl Jones’s passing. That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I’ll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams.”

Mark Hamill, who starred alongside Jones in the Star Wars franchise, also honored Jones on social media with a simple yet poignant “#RIP dad,” referencing Vader’s role as Luke Skywalker’s father.

Whoopi Goldberg Honors James Earl Jones as ‘One of the Greatest’

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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