Drew Struzan, the acclaimed illustrator behind some of the most recognizable movie posters in film history, has died at age 78 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Struzan’s death was announced Tuesday on his official Instagram account.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that Drew Struzan has moved on from this world as of yesterday, October 13th,” the post written by his manager read.
“I feel it is important that you all know how many times he expressed to me the joy he felt knowing how much you appreciated his art,” the post continued.
In a separate post, his family spoke candidly about his struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
“Drew was a force of nature. Like a whirlwind, he could not be stopped nor tamed nor manipulated. His power never waned. This disease, this particular disease, took the wind out of him,” they wrote.
“He could no longer speak his language out loud. We respected this tenacity, his ability to hold on to the fire within that continued to rage.”
Struzan’s career spanned more than four decades, during which he became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after poster artists.
He was responsible for the signature artwork promoting “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (Special Edition), “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Back to the Future,” “The Goonies,” “Risky Business,” “The Thing,” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” among many others, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Often called the “one-sheet wonder,” Struzan worked closely with directors such as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.
Spielberg once referred to him as “my favorite movie artist” and said, “I had to almost live up to the art that we later were going to ask Drew to create for the poster.”
Tributes from across the entertainment industry followed the announcement of his death.
Spielberg said, “Drew made event art. His posters made many of our movies into destinations … and the memory of those movies and the age we were when we saw them always comes flashing back just by glancing at his iconic photorealistic imagery. In his own invented style, nobody drew like Drew.”
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro remembered the artist on social media, writing, “The world lost a genial man, a genius communicator and supreme artist. I lost a friend — beloved Drew.”
Lucas paid tribute to Struzan in a statement on the Star Wars website.
“Drew was an artist of the highest order. His illustrations fully captured the excitement, tone and spirit of each of my films his artwork represented,” he wrote.
“His creativity, through a single illustrated image, opened up a world full of life in vivid color… even at a glance. I was lucky to have worked with him time and time again.”
DC president and artist Jim Lee also remembered Struzan.
“A giant among giants. His work captured the humanity, power and emotion of his subjects in ways not seen since,” he said.
“Thank you for bringing to life all the tentpole moments of my childhood and beyond.”
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