Drew Struzan, the legendary artist who painted the movie posters for “Star Wars,” “Back to the Future,” and countless other classics, died on October 13 at age 78.
The news came from Struzan’s longtime partner, illustrator Greg Aronowitz, who posted the sad message on Struzan’s Instagram account. Aronowitz said he had no details about the cause of death but that Struzan had always thanked fans for loving his work.
Fans flooded the comments with memories of the colorful, eye‑catching posters that defined an era of cinema. Major film makers also stepped forward. Steven Spielberg wrote, “Drew made event art. His posters turned movies into destinations.” Guillermo del Toro added, “The world lost a genius, a friend.”
Struzan was born in Oregon City in 1947 and later studied at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. He sold drawings to pay for school and then worked in Los Angeles as a local artist before getting his big break in Hollywood. In 1975, he painted album covers for The Beach Boys, Bee Gees and Earth, Wind & Fire. The next year he helped create a new poster for the “Star Wars” re‑release. That project opened doors to the rest of his career.
His catalog includes posters for “Blade Runner,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “The Goonies,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” and more. Even after announcing retirement in 2008, Struzan returned for projects like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015) and Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” (2017).
A 2013 documentary, “Drew: The Man Behind the Poster,” gave fans a behind‑the‑scenes look at his process. In interviews, he said he wanted each illustration to give people a feeling of hope and possibility. “Art is more than telling a story,” he told Slashfilm in 2021, adding that he tried to capture the best of what directors were doing.
Struzan’s work remains a touchstone for film fans worldwide. His vibrant, photorealistic posters continue to bring people back to the magic of cinema.
Source: New York Post
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