James Earl Jones fans were searching high and low for an explanation as to why the actor’s name was trending online this morning.
Jones is well-known for his highly acclaimed stage presence and movie roles as well as being a true treasure in the film industry as one of the most distinct and powerful voices to date. Some of his most famous and recent roles are as Mufasa in the original “The Lion King,” and the remake in 2019; in “Coming to America,” and the sequel as King Jaffe Joffer and as Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” franchise.
The 92-year-old retired from the role of Darth Vader due to his voice not being what it used to be, and he has not been in anything since 2022.
Jones has stayed quiet since his last performance, so when fans saw that he was trending on X, many feared for the worst.
“Saw the GOAT James Earl Jones trending and got terrified. Dont scare me like that this early in the morning.”
“With how the last few weeks have been, to see that James Earl Jones is trending on X had me a lotta bit concerned. Fortunately he is okay.”
“Who keeps having James Earl Jones trending without context? I almost had a heart attack!”
RELATED: Who You Got? Twitter Debates Over Who Has the Most Iconic Voice: James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman
While most scavenged for answers on whether Jones was okay, an unexpected source came in to shed some light on the situation.
The X account for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District made a post dispelling any death rumors about the EGOT winner.
“James Earl Jones is trending. his is still alive,” read the post. “he is still an american treasure. he is still worth remembering as the voice of this 1978 documentary about the Cuyahoga River.” Along with the caption, the account holder also posted a clip about the famous river that burned in 1969.
It is unknown exactly why Jones’ name may have gained so much traction, but there are a couple of culprits that may have a hand in why he made it to the Trending page.
The first may be a post from Aug. 27 made by @MrBlackOG that asked who is the “greatest black actor in history.” It featured images of beloved movie stars such as Samuel L. Jackson, Will Smith, Morgan Freeman and Idris Elba.
Some users felt Smith and Elba did not qualify to be in this conversation, while others came up in a lot of people’s arguments as a substitute. Other listed options included Jones, Denzel Washington, Laurence Fishburne and Forest Whitaker.
“I don’t have a problem with who is ON the list, but they are missing some (IMO) greater actors.”
A second post that may have gotten people talking is one that pitted Jones against the “Glory” actor. “Aside from Morgan Freeman, if you could choose someone to narrate your life, who would it be?” read the post.
One X user replied, “Of course James Earl Jones! Truthfully, I’d rather him over the venerable Morgan Freeman.”
Luckily, fans were happy to know Jones wasn’t trending for being ill, having financial issues or something more drastic affecting his career.
His last few films include “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,” “Coming 2 America,” and the mini-series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Reportedly, there are no upcoming roles on his schedule where Jones will rehash any of his iconic characters.
