Terminally Ill 'Star Wars' Fan Dies Days After Getting His Wish To See 'The Force Awakens'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A "Star Wars" fan in Texas has died days after Disney sent him a copy of the "The Force Awakens" before its December release.
Daniel Fleetwood, 32, was diagnosed with a terminal case of spindle cell carcinoma, a connective tissue cancer, and told in July he only had two months to live. A lifelong fan of the "Star Wars" franchise, Fleetwood was afraid he wouldn't make it to the Dec. 18 release of the new film.
His wife, Ashley, created a Twitter campaign called #ForceforDaniel requesting Disney let him see the movie early. The posts were retweeted by other fans and "Star Wars" castmembers Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew and John Boyega.
The fan's touching story was among the top trending stories in Southern California.
"The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams, who lives in the Los Angeles area, called Fleetwood last week to grant him his wish. A Disney studio representative confirmed that an unedited version of the movie was delivered to the fan's Houston home.
Ashley Fleetwood announced on Facebook early Tuesday morning that her husband had died.
Boyega took to Twitter to pay tribute to the loyal fan.