Drew Struzan, the legendary artist behind the iconic posters for Star Wars, Indiana Jones and more, dies at 78

News
By published

Iconic movie poster artist Drew Struzan has passed away at age 78

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi poster by Drew Struzan
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Legendary movie poster artist Drew Struzan has died at age 78. The news was posted on Struzan's Instagram with a brief message. No cause of death has yet been announced, but Struzan's wife Dylan Struzan previously disclosed that the artist was suffering from Alzheimer's disease..

The announcement is credited simply to "Greg," likely Greg Boas, producer of a 2013 documentary on Struzan's life titled Drew: The Man Behind the Poster.

Struzan is well-known for his many movie posters, especially thanks to his knack for balancing realism and fantasy elements and his collage-like compositions that captured the essence of the films he was illustrating.

Struzan's most famous works include posters for the first four Indiana Jones movies, multiple Star Wars films, and numerous other beloved films including ET: The Extra Terrestrial, Blade Runner, Back the Future, The Muppet Movie, Coming to America, The Goonies, The Thing, and many, many more. He also illustrated several comic book covers over the years, notably for 2003's landmark Superman issue Action Comics #800.

For moviegoers who grew up in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, Struzan's iconic posters represented the best of the best, the most prestigious blockbuster films being made. Though he retired in 2008, Struzan's work has remained the definitive movie poster style, influencing countless other artists and posters over the years.

George Marston
George Marston
Entertainment Writer

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.