The Daily Heat Index: Star Wars Superfan Passes Away Days After Seeing New Film

Plus, we can’t get over the new Finding Dory trailer, and things get weird when people fence with lightsabers.

Here’s a daily dose of what’s heating up the internet:

R.I.P Daniel Fleetwood


The terminally ill Star Wars fan who got his wish for an early screening of The Force Awakens has died — less than a week after viewing an unedited cut of the film in his Spring, Texas home. 


Daniel Fleetwood’s wife Ashley announced in an early Tuesday morning Facebook post that her husband, 32, had passed away of a rare connective tissue cancer that had covered his lungs in tumors. Fleetwood had been a lifelong Star Wars superfan, and his dying wish to see The Force Awakens was the subject of a viral social media campaign, #ForceForDaniel. Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and John Boyega voiced their support for his dying wish, and director J.J. Abrams personally called Daniel at home to let him know that Disney and Lucasfilms had arranged for a private viewing.


“Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end,” Ashley Fleetwood wrote on Facebook. “He is now one with God and with the force. He passed in his sleep and in peace. He will always be my idol and my hero.”

Just Keep Swimming


Dory takes center stage in the sequel to 2003’s epic Disney/Pixar film, Finding Nemo. Except this time, Nemo takes a backseat and everyone’s favorite forgetful creature (voiced by the always funny Ellen DeGeneres) ends up being the one who has lost her way. Take a look at the film’s first official trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9__7J8kQO0

Dueling Lightsabers


Can’t wait for a chance to stand in line for The Force Awakens tickets? Well, satiate your Star Wars cravings with this video of two fencing experts engaging in one crazy lightsaber battle. Hey, they may be toys, but we’re not complaining.

Photos by Facebook.com / Ashley Feetwood