Actor Who Portrayed R2-D2 In 'Star Wars' Films Has Died: Reports

(CBS) -- Kenny Baker, the diminutive British actor who played droid R2-D2 in the original "Star Wars" films, has died, according to published reports coming out of the United Kingdom.

Baker, 83, passed away after a long illness, according to the The Guardian.  Several British newspapers and entertainment websites picked up the story.

The 3-foot-8-inch-tall actor was best known for playing the crowd-pleasing robot R2-D2, who occasionally managed to save the day, in the original round of "Star Wars" films that began in 1977, as well as the trio of "prequel" movies director George Lucas made from 1999 to 2005. R2-D2, a silo-shaped robot on rollers, spoke with a series of beeps and whistles, while his counterpart, the easily frightened, bipedal C-3P0, talked too much.

"It was expected, but it's sad nonetheless," Baker's niece, Abigail Shield, was quoted as telling The Guardian. "He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we'll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We're all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime."

Twitter exploded Saturday with tributes from fans.