Ralph McQuarrie, the legendary conceptual artist behind the original Star Wars trilogy, has died. He was 82.
"It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Ralph McQuarrie," reads an announcing posted to the artist's website Saturday. "We'll miss you Ralph. You will forever be the brightest star in our galaxy."
McQuarrie was born in Gary, Indiana, on June 13, 1929. He started his career as a design artist for Boeing. His first film credit as an artist was for the original Star Wars, and he went on to do concept art for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He is also credited with calculating that the Death Star was 92 miles in diameter and 290 miles in circumference, according to IMDb.
George Lucas issued a statement Saturday night lamenting McQuarrie's passing, calling him "a visionary artist and a humble man" and "the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars."
"His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy," Lucas wrote in a statement posted to StarWars.com. "When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'Do it like this.'"
As news of McQuarrie's passing spread around the web Saturday night, outpouring came from all corners. The message "Legendary #StarWars artist Ralph McQuarrie passed away today. He will be missed in more galaxies than one" was posted by the official Star Wars Twitter feed. And actor Elijah Wood sent a tweet that said, "[A] disturbance in the force, Ralph McQuarrie has passed. May the force be with him."
"RIP Ralph McQuarrie," tweeted actor and sci-fi fan Simon Pegg, "an extraordinary artist whose work fueled my dreams, fantasies and imagination. His paintings will live forever."
McQuarrie also designed the spaceship for E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and won an Academy Award in 1986 for his work on director Ron Howard's Cocoon.
Few other details about the artist's passing were available Saturday evening. Fans can pay tribute on McQuarrie's Facebook page.
