Biden honors James Earl Jones and reminisces about their mutual battle against childhood stammering.
In a declaration shared on Tuesday, Biden talked about his last encounter with Jones, which took place when the actor obtained the Lincoln Medal for his "outstanding character and achievements" in cinema and theater.
"I appreciated him for something else too, something we shared - overcoming a childhood stutter to project our voices beyond personal limits," Biden, who's been vocal about his lifelong speech impediment, further stated.
Biden went on to write that Jones' "magnetic voice echoed wherever it was heard, a tool and mark that resonated in the souls of audiences globally."
As per his agent, Jones passed away on Monday. He was 93 years old.
Before Jones' powerful voice gave life to famous on-screen characters like Darth Vader in "Star Wars" and Mufasa in "The Lion King," as well as being the voice of CNN, a traumatic event he experienced during his childhood resulted in a stutter.
His fear of speaking left him nearly silent until his high school poetry teacher motivated him to recite his poems out loud, helping him conquer his affliction.
After regaining his voice, it became one of the most famous in popular culture.
Jones had a long and successful career in Hollywood, featuring in movies such as "The Sandlot," "Field of Dreams," and "Coming to America," to name a few.
According to Biden's Tuesday statement, "through legendary characters, films, stage performances, ads, radio, and more, his voice radiated an air of elegance and dignity that commanded respect and compelled our attention."
His roles, Biden wrote, "made us pause, lingered in our memories, and prompted us to contemplate various themes such as race, power, good and evil, and our own existence in the world."
Biden mentioned that Jones' entertainment career, spanning films, stage performances, ads, and radio, was a source of both elegance and dignity, captivating audiences and prompting deep thought. After overcoming his childhood stutter, Jones' powerful voice became synonymous with iconic characters in popular culture.
