James Earl Jones, iconic voice of Darth Vader in ‘Star Wars’ and Mufasa in ‘The Lion King,’ dead at 93

(CNN) — You can’t think of James Earl Jones without hearing his voice.That booming basso profundo, conveying instant dignity or menace, was Jones’ signature instrument. It brought power to all his stage and movie roles, most indelibly as Darth Vader in “Star Wars,” Mufasa in “The Lion King and as the voice of CNN.That remarkable voice is just one of many things the world will miss about the beloved actor, who died Monday, according to his agent. He was 93.Jones was with family when he died, according to his representative. No cause of death was shared.Jones had a distinguished career that spanned some 60 years and took him from a small-town theater in northern Michigan to the highest reaches of Hollywood, where he appeared in dozens of movies and TV series.In the mid-1970s “Star Wars” creator George Lucas cast towering British actor David Prowse as the guy inside Darth Vader’s black suit, but decided he wanted someone else to voice the character.“George thought he wanted a – pardon the expression – darker voice,” Jones once told the American Film Institute. “I lucked out.”Back then nobody imagined “Star Wars” would become a blockbuster, let alone an enduring franchise and cultural phenomenon....