The Legendary Drew Struzan, who was widely considered to be one of the greatest movie poster artists of all time, has passed away at the age of 78.
Earlier this year, we got word that Struzan had been living with Alzheimer's disease, and his condition had deteriorated to the point that could no longer paint or make public appearances.
Longtime collaborator Greg Aronowitz posted the following statement to Struzan’s 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. 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.”
Struzan began his career designing album covers for the likes of The Beach Boys, Bee Gees and Earth, Wind & Fire, and Alice Cooper. In 1975, he started working on promotional movie posters for smaller budget films such as Empire of the Ants and Squirm. Then, in 1978, Struzan was approached to create a new poster design for the re-release of Star Wars, and the rest is history.
“Drew made event art,” said Steven Spielberg on Struzan’s legacy. “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.”
"Drew was an artist of the highest order," said George Lucas. "His illustrations fully captured the excitement, tone and spirit of each of my films his artwork represented. 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."
In a 2021 interview with Slashfilm, Struzan spoke about the creative process behind his posters and the impact of his artwork.
“I felt that art was more than just telling the story. I’m looking to give a person a feeling about something they could hope for. 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. I look for the best pictures I can find of the actors and scenes [and] I look for the color palette. I design a composition that is open ended, not closed ended saying, ‘This is what you have to think about this.’ I feel like I’ve done a good job when that happens.”