Daniel Fleetwood, whose dying wish was to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, passed away less than a week after Disney and J.J. Abrams granted his wish.
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Update (November 10): Sad news today, as we have learned that Daniel Fleetwood has passed away. He was 32.
The news came via a Facebook post from Guardians of the Force, that wrote:
I Have Some Really Sad News. Daniel Fleetwood Is One With The Force. He Has Passed Away. We Will Never Forget How Much He Inspired All Star Wars Fans. He Was The True Embodiment Of What A Star Wars Fans Truly Is. We Will Never For Get You. Thank You Disney And Lucas Film For Letting Daniel See The Movie Early. Condolences To His Wife Ashley Fleetwood. Guardians Of The Force Will Honor Daniel Fleetwood On Opening Night Of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
~May The Force Be With You Always Daniel Fleetwood~
#MayTheForceBeWithYouAlways
#GuardiansOfTheForce
#ForceForDaniel
~Guardians Of The Force
His wife Ashley later wrote this heartbreaking message:
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. He will always be my idol and my hero. Please hug uncle Marc for me and give Lucy lots of kisses. Rest in peace my love. This was the last selfie we ever took together.
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Daniel’s family petitioned Disney and J.J. Abrams, so that the long-time Star Wars fan could be allowed to see The Force Awakens ahead of its December 18 release. Luckily, Disney came through in time — only five days ago, Daniel got to see an early cut of the movie.
Daniel’s wife revealed on Facebook Thursday afternoon that her husband got to see the film, writing, “Daniels final dream was just granted!!! Today the wonderful Disney and Lucasfilms made his final dream come true, in the amazing typical Disney way, they really do make dreams come true!”
She continued, “Daniel just finished watching an unedited version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens!!! We would like to thank the awesomely talented JJ Abrams for calling us yesterday to tell us Danjel was getting his wish granted! We also would like to thank Lynne, Ben and Anahuac for coming to our home and screening the movie for Daniel. Lastly I want to thank ALL the amazing people who helped make this happen, thank you beyond words!!! May the force be with you all smile emoticon #forcefordaniel!!!!”
RIP Daniel Fleetwood. We’re happy he got his final wish.
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Original story (November 4):
If you’ve ever seen the movie Fanboys, you’ll know how this story is supposed to go: the Star Wars fan suffering from terminal cancer wishes, more than anything else in the world, to see the newest installment of the Star Wars saga. He is granted his wish. As he should be.
In Fanboys, the movie was Phantom Menace and in reality, it’s The Force Awakens, and the fan’s name is Daniel Fleetwood.
The 32-year-old Texan native has been a fan of the epic saga since he was eight or nine years old, camping out and dressing up for all the premieres he’s been able to experience.
He was looking forward to the new movie, too, but earlier this year he learned that he has terminal tissue cancer. Although Daniel has outlived his original July prognosis, his condition has now worsened.
According to The Wrap, there is a “glimmer of hope” for Daniel Fleetwood, as Disney has indicated that they’ve been in touch with his family.
The hashtag #ForceForDaniel has been picked up by several Star Wars actors urging Disney to grant Daniel his wish, including original trilogy actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. New leads John Boyega and Daisy Ridley have both offered their support as well.
The Wrap notes that J.J. Abrams previously granted a dying Star Trek fan the chance to see Star Trek Into Darkness ahead of its release, so let’s hope Abrams and Disney come through for Daniel, too.
Show your support by tweeting using the hashtag #ForceForDaniel.
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