Iconic Star Wars and Indiana Jones visionary Drew Struzan dies at 78

He created iconic artwork for some of the biggest films of all time and was beloved by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Veteran illustrator Drew Struzan, who designed movie posters for Star Wars, Blade Runner and Back to the Future, has died at the age of 78.

His passing comes several years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and stepped out of the spotlight. 

The news was announced by his brother Greg Struzan on Instagram on Tuesday. 

'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,' Struzan wrote in a statement. 

'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 American illustrator created more than 150 film posters over his career, including ones for The Shawshank Redemption, ET the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones franchise and Harry Potter. 

For nearly four decades, he made a name for himself with his unmistakable style that helped bring audiences to the theater. 

He did all his work by hand, beginning with pencil drawings, before layering airbrush acrylics, and colored pencils. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg famously described Struzan as his 'favorite movie artist' and admitted to feeling pressure to 'live up to the art that' he would 'ask Drew to create for the poster.' 

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Struzan was also behind the album covers for a number of hit records for artists like The Beach Boys, Bee Gees and Earth Wind & Fire.

This includes Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare, which Rolling Stone ranked as one of the top 100 album covers of all time.  

He announced his retirement in 2008, but returned to design posters for Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy. 

In 2013, Erik Sharkey released the documentary, Drew: The Man Behind the Poster, about Struzan's life and career. 

The documentary features interviews with a number of people, including Struzan, his wife, Dylan Struzan, his son, Christian Struzan as well as Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro and George Lucas, and actors Harrison Ford and Michael J Fox. 

While discussing the creative process behind each poster in 2021, Struzan told  Slashfilm that he feels art is 'more than just telling the story.'

'I’m looking to give a person a feeling about something they could hope for,' he explained. 'I asked the directors what they’re doing and why they were doing it, [and] I try to find the best in what they are doing, then I paint that way.' 

To do this, he said he always looks to find the best pictures of the actors and scenes and 'design a composition that is open ended.' 

When asked to name which poster was his favorite, Struzan explained why he didn't have one. 

'If I had a favorite, then I would have already done the best I can do. I’d lose my spark of creativity. My favorite is always the very next one,' he said in Drew: The Man Behind the Poster. 

At the age of 18, he moved from Oregon to California to attend the ArtCenter College of Design.

He worked his way through school by selling his artwork and accepting small commissions. 

'I was poor and hungry, and illustration was the shortest path to a slice of bread, as compared to a gallery showing. I had nothing as a child. I drew on toilet paper with pencils – that was the only paper around. Probably why I love drawing so much today is because it was just all I had at the time,' he said of his career path. 

In March, Struzan's wife, Dylan, revealed in an emotional update that he was no longer able to make art.

'Drew can no longer paint or sign things for you. He is not enjoying a well-deserved retirement but rather fighting for his life,' she wrote on Facebook. 

'He hears all the comments you have left here on these pages. It encourages him. At first he was able to express his thoughts but as time progressed it became infinitely more difficult.'

She continued: 'I rely on our 60 years of marriage working as a team to remember for him. Jon, who posts many things here, relies on research in the many hours of interviews both written and filmed to fill in Drew’s thoughts.  

'Drew has left a strong legacy of love and joy in the form of his work. It has always been a love letter of sorts. His aim was to make the earth a better place in which to live by creating something beautiful. But like a flower, his season is ending.'

She concluded her post by vowing to continue to curate Drew’s legacy. 

In the wake of Struzan's death, his fans and former collaborators flocked to pay tribute on social media. 

'A giant among giants. His work captured the humanity, power and emotion of his subjects in ways not seen since. Thank you for bringing to life all the tentpole moments of my childhood and beyond,' DC president and Batman artist Jim Lee wrote. 

Marvel artist J Scott Campbell called the loss 'heartbreaking' and admitted he was having trouble wrapping his 'mind around the finality of it all.'

'He has left us all with so much beauty to enjoy for generations to come. I know the past few years have been especially difficult and I can only hope that this gives him and all of his loved ones some sense of peace,' Campbell stated.

Artist Orlando Arocena credited Struzan for pushing him to pursue illustration. 

'Thank you for being the movitation and inspiration that helped my creative path and countless others! You will be missed and always remembered Maestro! Rest in Peace,' he wrote.