Tony Dyson: Builder Of Star Wars' R2-D2 Dies

The man who built Star Wars' iconic robot, R2-D2, has died at his home in Malta aged 68.

The body of special effects wizard Professor Tony Dyson was discovered at his home on the Maltese island of Gozo after friends alerted police that he had not been seen for several days.

Malta police spokesman Kurt Bugeja Coster said: "A neighbour realised the front door was open and became concerned and called the police.

"Officers entered the apartment and he was found dead.

"Foul play has been excluded so far. An autopsy will be held to determine cause of death."

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Mr Dyson's website said he was commissioned to build eight different versions of the round-domed R2-D2 for the Star Wars film.

"I can honestly say it was one of the most exciting periods of my life," he said.

The website said he had also built robots for various technology firms, including Sony, Philips and Toshiba.

The squat R2-D2 droid, a sidekick of C-3P0, became one of the world's favourite robots.

He formed an important part of the Star Wars franchise and made a revived and crucial appearance in the latest episode, The Force Awakens.

Professor Dyson also worked on Superman II, the James Bond film Moonraker and Dragonslayer, and received an Emmy nomination for his film special effects supervision.