Drew Struzan, whose name became synonymous with eye-catching movie posters and created iconic images associated with classic movies like “Back to the Future” and “Star Wars,” has died. He was 78.
Struzan’s death was announced on Oct. 14 on his verified Instagram account. The artist’s wife, Dylan Struzan, previously shared on Facebook in March that he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years.
“The disease, this particular disease, took the wind out of him,” his family said in a statement. “He could no longer speak his language out loud. We respected the tenacity, his ability to hold on to the fire within that continued to rage.”
Struzan created the art featured on posters for a long list of acclaimed movies, including “Back to the Future,” “The Thing,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “The Goonies,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” “The Muppet Movie,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and more. He is generally viewed as the most accomplished designer of posters in history, whose name is invoked by movie fans as shorthand for visually stunning film art.
Born in Oregon in 1947, Struzan studied at the ArtCenter College of Design and got his start working at the design studio Pacific Eye & Ear. In 2013, his life and career were the subject of the documentary “Drew: The Man Behind the Poster.”
In the film, Steven Spielberg said Struzan has been “such a benefit” to his films, noting he felt pressure that his movies had to “live up to” Struzan’s poster art.
Struzan made his mark on the “Star Wars” franchise with numerous beloved poster designs, perhaps most notably for the special edition re-releases of the original trilogy and for all three films in the prequel trilogy. He also designed a famous teaser poster for 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” which was at the time titled “Revenge of the Jedi.”
Struzan announced his retirement in 2008 but returned for a few more designs after that, including in 2015 with a poster for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
“Star Wars” creator George Lucas honored Struzan in a statement released by Lucasfilm as “an artist of the highest order.”
“His illustrations fully captured the excitement, tone and spirit of each of my films his artwork represented,” Lucas said. “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.”
Struzan’s family said in its statement that “what drew people to him” was his “kindness,” “hope” and “love of beautiful things,” adding, “It was our honor to nurture that glow. Please take a moment to reflect on what he brought to you. Life should be full of love and beauty.”