Chewbacca Actor’s Star Wars Memorabilia Auctioned Off, Family Outraged
Peter Mayhew, the actor that played Chewbacca in Star Wars, left behind items when he moved years ago and they are now being auctioned off against his family's wishes.
A ton of screen-used Star Wars memorabilia and behind-the-scenes items are scheduled to go up for sale on the auction block next week. The items, which belonged to the late Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew, were not meant to be sold off, according to a write-up in TMZ. According to Mayhew’s wife, Angie, the collection of items was mistakenly left behind when the couple moved out of their Northern England home several years ago, with the estate currently rallying to get the items back.
The beloved Chewbacca actor tragically passed away in 2019, after suffering from cardiac arrest. The 7 foot 3 inch actor brought the cuddly Wookiee rebel to life throughout each of the Star Wars films, from the original 1977 George Lucas films all the way until J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens in 2015. Angie Mayhew is currently working in conjunction with the Peter Mayhew Foundation, who assist in all manner of illnesses and ailments, to have the items returned and placed in the family’s “Chewy museum” in Texas.
The auction house currently appraising the items for sale is the Ryedale auction house, which plan to move the lot during a large two day collectors’ sale event. Apparently, years ago, the Chewbacca actor and his wife moved out of their home in North England, and had to leave some items behind in the attic due to accessibility issues. Peter had a knee injury that prevented him from safely clearing out the attic, having undergone double knee replacement surgery in 2013, though Angie says he was able to reach up and get a decent amount of their belongings within arms reach.
The current occupants of the home recently did some Spring cleaning, and claim they didn’t have the names or contact information for the previous owners, and had no idea the items belonged to the Chewbacca actor himself, though many of the items were signed and addressed to the actor. As a result, they unwittingly gave the items, which include production scripts, autographed photos, call sheets, and a host of other high quality items, to the Ryedale Auction house. At this time, TMZ says Ryedale have failed to respond to comments, with the items still scheduled to go on sale February 17th and 18th.
Chewbacca was a beloved fan favorite character who, in a galaxy of morally gray characters, always showed love, respect, and loyalty to his friends. Peter Mayhew exemplified Chewy’s gentle giant nature, always humbly relishing his role and having positive interactions with fans. When Mayhew passed away in 2019, there was an outpouring of fan support due to the actor’s sociable nature and lovable presence.
Angie Mayhew claims that leaving the Star Wars memorabilia behind in the Northern England attic was one of her and Peter’s biggest disappointments, as the pair had nothing but love and adoration for their hand in crafting the Star Wars universe as we know it today. At this time, we’re all rooting for the Mayhew estate to have the Chewbacca items returned to their rightful owners.
