Daniel Fleetwood – the terminally ill Star Wars fan who inspired the #ForceForDaniel campaign – has passed away at the age of 32.
As we reported earlier, Fleetwood suffered from spindle cell sarcoma and was aware that he didn’t have long to live. His dying wish was to see the completed version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which isn’t slated for release until next month.
His wife, Ashley, enlisted fellow Star Wars fans to help convince filmmakers to allow Daniel to see the movie a few weeks early, as doctors believed that he might not make it to the December 18 release date.
Franchise stars like Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher expressed their support for the campaign, and last week Daniel got his wish.
Director J.J. Abrams contacted the Fleetwood family to arrange a screening, and Ashley offered elated updates on the experience via Twitter:
“To all our wonderful supporters, friends, family and awesome strangers: Daniels final dream was just granted!!! Today the wonderful Disney, Bad Robot and Lucasfilm teams made his final dream come true, Daniel just finished watching an unfinished version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens!!!
“We would like to thank the awesomely talented JJ Abrams for calling us yesterday to tell us Daniel was getting his wish granted! Lastly I want to thank ALL the amazing people who helped make this happen!!! May the force be with you all smile #forcefordaniel.”
While Daniel’s passing is beyond tragic, the fact that his final days were defined by the devotion of his family and friends, and his passionate love for his favorite films offers a tiny silver lining.
May the force be with you, Daniel.
