Former KPFA Drama and Literature director Erik Bauersfeld died Sunday morning, April 3rd at the age of 93.

Susan Stone, who later served in the same position at KPFA, reported that two long time friends were with him — Randy Thom was holding his hand, and poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti was on the phone reading to him.

Bauersfeld started at KPFA in 1961 and worked as Drama and Literature director for three decades, building up the arts and humanities programming. Stone says he loved reading to the audience above all, and left in the mid-1990s to pursue special theater projects with West German Radio and his Bay Area Radio Drama project.

In addition to the Star Wars work, Bauersfeld also performed in the films A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Crimson Peak.

Some of his radio work can be heard at the website Bay Area Radio Drama.

In this video interview Peter Hartraub speaks with Erik Bauersfeld about his voice work for the character Admiral Akbar…