R2-D2 creator Tony Dyson dies at 68

Tony Dyson, the man who designed the Star Wars droid R2-D2, was found dead in his home on Friday, according to BBC News.

Dyson knew well the power of his signature creation.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"The love for R2 is universal; no other Star Wars character has been loved over the years the way R2-D2 has," the designer wrote on his website. "His merchandising has rocketed over the years and his influence in the world of robotics is truly remarkable."

Dyson ran The White Horse Toy Company in the U.K. when he was hired to build remote-controlled R2-D2 units for George Lucas' Star Wars films in the 1970s. He worked in visual effects on several films, including Superman II and the James Bond film Moonraker, though his work often went uncredited.

"I did the spacemen models on [Moonraker]," Dyson told GeekWire last year. "It was really my first job. That basically led back to Bray Studios, where they told me that Star Wars is going to come up. The method I was going to use to mold [the robots] was based on rocking horses. And because of my molding for rocking horses, they decided I would be the perfect person to take on the robots."

“The most ironic thing as the years went by, I was told I could never build another R2-D2," he added. "I had started a R2-D2 builders club, and I was told we couldn’t do the exact same sizes and dimensions."

Even so, Dyson was proud to bring the iconic robot to life.

"It’s fantastic now that Disney has bought the franchise that it can be bigger and definitely will not die," he said. "It’s an enormous investment to bring it back to the next generation."

According to the BBC, Dyson likely died of natural causes. He was 68 years old. 

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