Designer of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, back to the future posters dies at 78 after Alzheimer’s years
Drew Struzan, the painter whose art became the visual soul of blockbuster cinema, has died at age 78. His official Instagram announced that “he has moved on from this world as of yesterday, October 13th,” adding that he often spoke of the joy his fans’ appreciation gave him.
His career bridged the worlds of music and film. Early on, he created album covers for iconic artists including the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, Earth, Wind & Fire, Liberace and Black Sabbath. His work for Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare earned recognition from Rolling Stone as one of the great album covers ever made.
In the 1970s, Struzan pivoted to film poster art, initially working on B-movies. His breakthrough came when he illustrated a secondary poster for the re-release of Star Wars, and from there he became one of the most in-demand poster designers of his era. By the 1980s, he was producing roughly ten major posters a year.
Struzan’s portfolio reads like a cinematic wishlist: Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back, The Goonies, The Shawshank Redemption, The Thing, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Blade Runner, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, First Blood, Hellboy and more. He also frequently collaborated with Steven Spielberg, creating posters for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Hook.
In a 2021 interview, Struzan explained his approach: “I didn’t want to tell a story. I’m looking to give a person a feeling … art is more than telling the story.” His style avoided illustrative literalness; instead, he evoked mood, hope and mystery.
Earlier this year, in March, his wife revealed that Struzan had been living with Alzheimer’s disease for some time. She wrote, “Drew can no longer paint or sign things for you … he is fighting for his life.” Over subsequent months, the disease silenced the very hand that captured so much cinematic magic.
Tributes flooded in across the film and art community. DC Comics chief Jim Lee hailed him “a giant among giants,” praising Struzan’s capacity to capture the “humanity, power and emotion” of his subjects. Others called his art timeless dreamscapes that transcended marketing into cultural memory.
Struzan’s passing marks the end of an era when poster art was alive, hand-crafted, and emotionally potent. His images didn’t just sell films — they sold myth, wonder and the promise of adventure.
While his brush is stilled, the visions he painted will remain ingrained in popular culture haunting theatres, memory, and the hearts of storytellers for generations to come.