Peter Mayhew has passed away. From his official twitter:

He was 74. As everyone knows, he WAS Chewbacca. I will say the new guy is great as Chewie but Peter set the template. He was a jovial giant that never saw a ton of mainstream success as an actor but was always ready to put on the suit and play Chewie at children’s hospitals and other charities.

We’ll miss him. Good bye Pete.