The legendary poster artist Drew Struzan, who worked on several classic franchises and films, including Blade Runner, Back to the Future, and Star Wars, has passed away at the age of 78.
Drew was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease a few years ago and spent the later part of his life out of the public eye.
On Tuesday, October 14, his official Instagram account announced the disheartening news.
"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 caption read.
The Instagram post further 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."
As reported by THR, Drew was once dubbed the "one-sheet wonder," a go-to artist for Steven Spielberg (Indiana Jones) and George Lucas (Star Wars).
The late artist has also worked on films such as Last Crusade, Risky Business, The Goonies, The Thing and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Drew signature style was bold, dramatic and colourful. He was known for capturing the true essence of a film.
Spielberg once called him "my favourite movie artist" and later added, "I had to almost live up to the art that we later were going to ask Drew to create for the poster."
At a tribute to Drew Struzan back in 2018, the artist said, "I'm thinking about my childhood and how I never had a birthday party, never had a good meal, everywhere I went, I worked my ass off. Nothing was ever given to me before, except by these lovely people," referring to the directors who hired him over the years.
Drew Struzan's work was chronicled by director Erik Sharkey in the 2013 documentary Drew: The Man Behind the Poster.
