Peter Mayhew‘s wife, Angie Mayhew, is raising concerns about an upcoming auction that includes her husband’s Star Wars memorabilia. Mayhew, of course, is the actor who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars Universe. The actor passed away in 2019, though his memory lives forever through generations of Star Wars fans and his many appearances as the war-hardened Wookie. According to reports, Ryedale Auctioneers will sell Star Wars scripts, call sheets, and items found in Mayhew’s attic after his death. Angie Mayhew, who is against the things going up for auction, says the circumstances of the sale “really breaks [her] heart.”
“When we moved out of this house, Peter’s movement challenges made it impossible for him to get into the attic to get the rest of these memories,” Angie wrote on Twitter. “It really breaks my heart to see our belongings auctioned off like this by [auction house founder] Angus Ashworth and Ryedale Auctioneers.”
“It was one of Peter’s and my biggest regrets that we had to leave these items behind,” Angie added. “His knees and joints had gotten to be so painful that he was no longer able to go into the attic to get them.”
Later, Angie informed fans using the Pater Mayhew Foundation account she engaged in a Zoom meeting with the auction organization, saying, “I communicated our desire that Peter’s items be returned to the Mayhew family,” Angie reported. “Will keep everyone posted as progress is made – thank you for the continued support!”
How do you feel about Mayhew’s scripts and personal effects getting auctioned off? As Peter’s partner, shouldn’t Angie be entitled to the items instead of an auction house looking to make a buck? Should someone have arranged for Peter’s belongings to be taken from storage and moved to a safe location, away from grabby hands and opportunists?
The situation is ongoing. Still, we hope this story has a happy ending, with the items returning to Angie. Healing from the loss of a loved one takes time, and absconding with someone’s personal effects can inflict unforeseen damage on those still recovering from the loss. If you support Angie, respond to the tweets and let her know.