‘Star Wars’ Actor Kenneth Colley Dies At 87

Kenneth Colley, best known for starring as Admiral Piett in the original “Star Wars” series and “Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian,” died on June 30. He was 87.

The British actor died at his home in Kent, England, after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia, according to multiple outlets.

“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” Colley’s agent, Julian Owen, said in a statement to People on Thursday. “Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’ to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’ for the BBC.”

Colley was initially admitted to a hospital after he injured his arm after suffering a fall. He then rapidly contracted COVID that developed into a pneumonia diagnosis, according to Owen.

Owen said Colley “passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside.”

Social media users on X, formerly Twitter, mourned Colley’s death.

Colley, who first kicked off his Hollywood career in 1961, most recently appeared in the 2024 film “Dan Hawk Psychic Detective” and as a voice actor in the 2023 short film “I Am Tree.”