The Jedis definitely felt this one. Daniel Fleetwood, the "Star Wars" fan who was granted his wish of seeing the latest installment in the franchise, has passed on, The Guardian reported.
Fleetwood's death was confirmed early Tuesday by his wife Ashley via Facebook. "He passed in his sleep and in peace. He will always be my idol and my hero," Ashley wrote, coupling the message with a photo of her and her husband wearing matching shirts.
In 2012, Fleetwood was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called spindle cell carcinoma. The Mayo Clinic describes the illness as a connective tissue cancer that begins in the tissues that line internal organs.
In September, doctors told Fleetwood that he had two months to live. One of the items in his bucket list was to see "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".
Fearing that he may not live long enough for the December 18 screening of the long-awaited film, Daniel and Ashley started an online campaign requesting Disney to let him see the movie before his time was up.
"If I got to see the movie, I might actually die from happiness," the then 31-year-old told PEOPLE. "Growing up, I would watch the movies over and over and analyze every little detail. I hope I get to see what happens."
The hashtag #ForceForDaniel was debuted on Twitter. It got the attention of a couple of the film's leads. Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew, and John Boyega, who plays Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and Finn respectively, used the hashtag and gave it a much-needed publicity.
Ashley tweeted on November 2, Monday that the tumor has taken over 90 percent of Daniel's lungs, and that her husband is running out of time, while tagging Disney and using the hashtag.
On November 5, Thursday, Fleetwood's wish came true as Disney agreed to a private screening of an unfinished cut of the film. Details about the screening were withheld, with Disney only stating that "all involved were happy to be able to make it happen".
After the showing, Ashley posted on Facebook, saying, "Daniel just finished watching an unfinished version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens!!! We would like to thank the awesomely talented [director] JJ Abrams for calling us yesterday to tell us Daniel was getting his wish granted!" according to an earlier report by The Guardian.
A fan since the early "Star Wars" films, Fleetwood camped out to get in line when the prequels first came out.
When news of Fleetwood's death broke out, his Facebook page was engulfed with messages of sympathy and support. Ashley opened the news of Daniel's passing with, "Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end. He is now one with God and with the force," CNN reported.