James Earl Jones passed away Monday. The Michigan community is mourning the passing of a legendary U-M alumnus.

The Michigan football program was quick to post the pulse-pounding, epic hype video Jones lent his famous voice to last decade.

Former head coach Jim Harbaugh had the idea of Jones narrating a pregame clip for games in the Big House.

“With James Earl Jones narrating and 200 years of Michigan tradition to work with, I thought people would really like that,” Harbaugh said in 2015, per MLive.

With the voice of Jones talking Michigan football, the video had to have a powerful finish. It did not disappoint and holds up strong as ever in 2024.

“This is our legacy and our future. We are proud members of the Big Ten Conference in pursuit of national championships. We have won more games than any team in the country, no one has won more. We believe in football. Championship football. We shy away from no challenge or opponent. We bow to no man. We bow to no program. We are Michigan.”

Jones attended Michigan in the early 1950s. He was initially a pre-med student and then English major, but drawn to drama. He was also a member of the ROTC before departing the school in 1953.

The University released a statement on Jones’ passing through the Office of the President:

At the University of Michigan, we join with family and friends and innumerable fans in mourning the passing of James Earl Jones, a trailblazing actor, a resounding bass, and a lifetime Wolverine.

Best known as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars, James Earl Jones was so much more. So we celebrate his life and achievements, his overcoming of a speech impediment in high school, his discovery of a love of acting at the University of Michigan, and his award-winning career, including two Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Grammy and an honorary Academy Award.

Even more importantly, for all his success, James Earl Jones stayed true to the ethos of our university – exceptional in craft, humble in achievement, a pioneer, an artist and a leader.

Jones was 93.