Late Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew’s Star Wars memorabilia was set to be auctioned off until his wife objected to the sale. Mayhew, who kept a collection of priceless original items from the original trilogy, was to be sold to fans at an auction.
British auction house Ryedale Auctioneers were set to sell various call sheets, scripts from “The Empire Strikes Back,” and other Chewbacca memorabilia found in the attic of Mayhew’s former home. However, Mayhew’s widow, Angie, said she didn’t know the items were heading to auction until BBC presenter Jon Kay tweeted photos of some memorabilia.
Mayhew, who played Han Solo’s lovable Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca for decades, died in 2019 at age 74. He had long suffered health complications from his gigantism, and his wife Angie Mayhew said his mobility was limited in a statement through his eponymous foundation’s Twitter account. When Mayhew was cast as everyone’s favorite Wookie, Mayhew modeled his performance after bears and monkeys he saw at the London Zoo. Lucas said that Mayhew was “the closest any human being could be to a Wookiee: big heart, gentle nature, and I learnt to always let him win.”
The Peter Mayhew Foundation, a nonprofit organization the late actor founded that benefits many different causes, tweeted, requesting that the items be returned to the foundation.
Within days of Angie Mayhew’s tweets and heated back-and-forth debate on what should be done with the memorabilia, the auction was canceled.
Ryedale Auctioneers head Angus Ashworth said in a statement to CNN that the couple who uncovered the “Star Wars” memorabilia in their attic was “quite happy to donate the lot of items to the Peter Mayhew Foundation to have in its collection, not-for-profit so that fans can access it in perpetuity. I can only apologize to all of the Star Wars (sic) fans who had already shown great interest in owning a bit of film history!”
Mayhew’s items will go to the late actor’s foundation and be displayed at a Texas toy store dedicated to Star Wars.
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