James Earl Jones (1931-2024)
Filed under the name James · August 24, 2026
James Earl Jones stuttered so badly as a boy that he went years barely speaking above a whisper — and he became, of all things, one of the most recognized voices in the world. I think about that a lot in my line of work, because I've sat with so many patients and families who thought some wound would define them forever, and it didn't have to. Jones pushed through his stutter with the help of a mentor who believed in him before he believed in himself — sabi namin, may laging nagmamalasakit, there is always someone who cares, if you let them in. He went on to give voice to Darth Vader, to Mufasa, to decades of Broadway and film, using the very instrument he once couldn't trust. My husband Tom loves doing the Vader voice badly to make our grandnieces laugh. Every time, I think of that stuttering boy who became THE voice. Grateful, always, for people who prove a hard start isn't the whole story.