Terminally ill fan who saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens early has died
Daniel Fleetwood, the terminally ill man whose dying wish to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens was granted last week, has died at the age of 32.
His wife, Ashley Fleetwood, shared the news early Tuesday morning. “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,” she wrote on Facebook, sharing a final photo they took together.
Fleetwood, a Star Wars fan since childhood, had been diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, a connective tissue cancer, and did not expect to live until The Force Awakens’ Dec. 18 release date.
A campaign to allow him to see the film early went viral earlier this month, using the hashtag #ForceForDaniel, and caught the attention of Star Wars cast members like Mark Hamill and John Boyega.
Last Thursday, Ashley Fleetwood announced on Facebook that Disney allowed Daniel to see an unedited version of the film. She also revealed that The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams called the couple personally to reveal that Daniel’s wish would be granted.
Abrams granted a similar wish for a dying fan in 2013, arranging for a Star Trek fan with terminal cancer to see Star Trek Into Darkness before it was released. That man died just days after seeing the film.
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Entertainment WeeklyJohn Boyega pays tribute to terminally ill Star Wars fan who died after seeing The Force Awakens
Daniel Fleetwood, the terminally ill man whose final wish was to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has died days after seeing the movie, and John Boyega paid tribute to Fleetwood on Twitter.
“Glad you got to see the movie [and] more importantly that you slept in peace,” the Force Awakens star wrote. “God bless you man. You inspire me.”
The lifelong Star Wars fan had been diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, a connective tissue cancer, and did not know if he would live to see The Force Awakens in theaters in December. His story went viral when a campaign with the hashtag #ForceForDaniel was launched to allow the 32-year-old to see the movie early, and Star Wars cast members like Boyega, Peter Mayhew, and Mark Hamill all retweeted posts spreading the word about Fleetwood and his wish.
Last week, Disney screened an unedited version of The Force Awakens for Fleetwood, after director J.J. Abrams called him to tell him his wish had been granted. His wife, Ashley, announced on Facebook early Tuesday morning that her husband had died.
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Entertainment Weekly