“Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family.”
Samantha Davis, co-founder of dwarfism charity Little People UK and wife of Star Wars star Warwick Davis, has died aged 53.
Warwick announced the news in a statement released to the BBC, in which the actor paid tribute to his wife, who he referred to as his “favourite human”.
Samantha died on 24th March, and in the statement, Warwick wrote: “Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs.”
It continued: “She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life. She had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes.”
He added that with his wife by his side, “it was like having a superpower”.
“Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series, no Idiot Abroad series 3,” the statement continued.
Samantha was also an actor and featured in the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, as a goblin alongside her husband as Professor Flitwick and the goblin Griphook.
The couple met on the set of George Lucas’s film Willow in 1988 and married three years later.
The couple have two children, Harrison and Annabelle, who also joined their father in paying tribute to Samantha, saying “her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives”.
“Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers.”
Samantha’s other acting credits include Through the Dragon’s Eye and Honky Sausages, but outside of the world of TV and film, Samantha was known for her charity work.
Founding the charity Little People UK with her husband in 2012, the organisation was set up in order to help individuals with dwarfism and their families.
Disney also paid tribute to Samantha (as the network in which Willow was on), saying that Samantha was a “beloved member of the UK film and TV community”, adding: “Our thoughts are with the Davis family during this difficult time.”