Skip to main content

Star Wars #ForceForDaniel fan dies days after seeing an early screening of the film

With the recent release of the trailer for the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, so many fans are looking forward to the movie that ticket pre-sales crashed a number of movie ticket sites. One of those fans is 31-year-old Daniel Fleetwood. However, unlike other young fans, Fleetwood was diagnosed with a cancer called spindle cell sarcoma two years ago, and time isn’t on his side. His last wish — a chance to see the film — has caught the attention and support of the movie’s fans and stars alike.

Updated 11/10/2015: We are sad to report that Daniel Fleetwood has passed away on November 10. Fleetwood’s wife, Ashley, made the announcement in a Facebook post, with a photo of her with Daniel.

Recommended Videos

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,” Ashley wrote.

 

Before Daniel’s passing, Ashley and Daniel’s supporters, including actors Mark Hamill and John Boyega, helped him get an early screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens – his last wish – through the #ForceForDaniel social media campaign Ashley started.

Updated 11/5/2015 by Ryan: As reported by ET Online, Daniel Fleetwood has been granted his wish. Fleetwood’s wife today posted the news on her Facebook account that he was given early access to an unedited version of the film. Here’s Ashley Fleetwood’s full post below:

To all our wonderful supporters, friends, family and awesome strangers: Daniels final dream was just granted!!! Today…

Posted by Ashley Fleetwood on Thursday, November 5, 2015

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fleetwood was informed in September that he only has a couple months to live. His wife, Ashley, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to not only raise money for medical bills but hopefully give Daniel, a Star Wars fan since the age of 8 or 9, a chance to see The Force Awakens before its Dec. 18 release. “Judging by how progressive the disease has gotten in the past two months I really don’t think that I’ll be able to make it,” Fleetwood said.

The hashtag #ForceForDaniel gained the attention of not just Star Wars fans, but celebrities on Twitter, including many of the movie’s cast members. Among the tweets of support were posts from Mark Hamill, John Boyega, and Peter Mayhew.

Christina Majaski
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Christina has written for print and online publications since 2003. In her spare time, she wastes an exorbitant amount of…
5 things we need to see in The Mandalorian & Grogu Star Wars movie
The Mandalorian and Grogu in a poster for the Disney+ series.

It's not hard to see why Lucasfilm gave the green light to the upcoming Mandalorian & Grogu movie. No new characters from the new Disney era are as widely beloved as they are. In a time when so many Star Wars films have been announced and subsequently abandoned, a movie based on The Mandalorian feels like a surefire hit.

And yet, everything else about this film remains a mystery. What's the story? When does it even take place? None of that is known. But I think we can agree that the following five things need to be addressed in the upcoming film.
1. The right epic feel and scope

Read more
5 things we want to see in Star Wars: The Acolyte
Dafne Keen as Jecki in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Star Wars: The Acolyte aims to be one of the more unique additions to the Star Wars universe. This upcoming series will give audiences their first look into the world of the Jedi during the age of the High Republic. Specifically, it will follow the Jedi near the end of this era as they investigate a string of crimes that will have them uncover evil forces brewing in the shadows.

Due to the open-ended nature of this piece of Star Wars history, fans can only imagine what The Acolyte will add to the franchise. But until it premieres, here's hoping the show will feature these five things in its first season.
The Jedi-Sith War

Read more
From Prequelists to Reylos, these are the 9 definitive types of Star Wars fans
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars fans don't get along. The fandom has been called toxic and divided, and many times, it's lived up to that stereotype.

But I, for one, count the diversity of the fanbase as a positive. It's what's led to the wide range of stories, genres, and media types over the years, each generating its own small base of fans. More broadly, these fanbases are created based on your generation and what part of the series you gravitated to first for whatever reason. I hope you'll be able to find yourself among at least one of these waves of Star Wars fans and start to see that there's enough room at the table for us all.
The Original Trilogy Boomers

Read more