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Texas man whose final wish to see the new 'Star Wars' was granted, dies of cancer

Updated Nov. 10: Ashley Fleetwood announced early Tuesday morning that her husband Daniel had died.

Original story, Nov. 6: While war rages in a galaxy far, far away, Daniel Fleetwood of Spring, Texas, has been fighting his own battle.

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Daniel, 32, was diagnosed in 2012 with spindle cell sarcoma, a type of connective-tissue cancer. In July of this year, his doctor told him he had only two months to live.

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Daniel had just one request: He wanted to screen Star Wars: The Force Awakens just a bit early, since he may not be around for the premiere in December.

This sparked an online campaign called #ForceForDaniel, spearheaded by Daniel's wife, Ashley. Ashley's request for her husband on Facebook went viral, and Fleetwood screened a rough edit of the film on Thursday in his home.

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"Daniel's final dream was just granted," Ashley wrote on her Facebook page. "Today the wonderful Disney and Lucasfilm made his final dream come true, in the amazing typical Disney way, they really do make dreams come true!"

Reddit user and Austin native Oliver Meek caught wind of the Facebook post through coworker Hannah Schroeder, a friend of Ashley's. He posted the request to the Star Wars board on Oct. 28. and from there things went galactic.

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"I thought, 'Well hell, it's a tight-knit community and it's not in the dark corners of the Internet," Meek said. "It's a welcoming group. As these things do, they blow up.

Fans started a petition that gained over 4,000 signatures, the #ForceForDaniel campaign spread through cyberspace in a matter of parsecs, and Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, John Boyega and others showed support on Twitter.

Daniel was even made an honorary Jedi Knight by a fan club, Ashley told The Washington Post.

Eventually, Disney and director J.J. Abrams' production company Bad Robot reached out to the Fleetwood family.

"It's a commitment and he still has that commitment, that drive, and that love and I think that it's a beautiful thing," Ashley told Click2Houstonlate last week. "Even if it's just a movie. That's magic for a lot of people."

Star Wars isn't just an interest for Daniel -- it's his life. In 2005, the Daily Sentinel in Nacogdoches featured him for standing in line for days to see Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

"I just love Star Wars," Daniel told Click2Houston. "With everything I got, I love Star Wars."

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With Daniel having now seen the film, Ashley said it's time to focus on what life has to offer.

"Now I want and need to focus 10,000 percent of the little time I have left with Daniel," Ashley wrote on Facebook Friday morning. "Thank you everyone who helped make this happen."

If you'd like to donate to Daniel's cause and help alleviate medical expenses, the family has set up a GoFundMe page. As of Friday, more than $36,000 had been raised.

And if you're as anxious to see more Star Wars footage as we are, here's the latest trailer (from the Asian market).