Daniel Fleetwood, a terminally ill “Star Wars” fan who was granted to watch “The Force Awakens” early, has passed away at the age of 32.
He died 5 days after watching the movie.
Fleetwood’s wife Ashley confirmed his death via a statement on Facebook.
She said:
Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end. He is now one with God and with the force. He passed in his sleep and in peace. He will always be my idol and my hero.
In July this year, Daniel’s oncologists gave him only 2 months to live from a rare form of connective tissue cancer called spindle cell sarcoma.
He managed to push past that 2-month mark because he was hanging on to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens“, which will officially be released next month.
In early November, Fleetwood’s wish to see “The Force Awakens” went viral all over social media with the hashtag #ForceForDaniel.
His dying wish also caught the attention of “Star Wars” stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and new actor John Boyega (Finn), who retweeted the story with the #forcefordaniel hashtag, further boosting the campaign.
Of course, this led to thousands of people around the globe tweeting and sharing the same hashtag, in hopes of Daniel’s wish getting granted.
Last Thursday, Disney said that the screening for Daniel Fleetwood had taken place. The place of the screening was not mentioned, but it was most likely to have taken place at his home due to his poor condition.
The plot of “The Force Awakens”, the story is set around 30 years after the events of 1983’s “Return of the Jedi”. Newcomer Daisy Ridley is starring in it as a character named Rey while John Boyega will play Finn. Adam Driver is portraying Kylo Ren, a new villain who wields the much-discussed “tri-saber”. However, no details regarding his role were revealed.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is set to be released on 18th December 2015.
Sources: Malay Mail Online, People.
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