An industry icon known for his work on Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Hocus Pocus, and Star Wars has tragically died.
The film world is mourning a true master whose work defined the visual language of modern cinema’s greatest adventures.
“He made event art,” Steven Spielberg said in tribute, per Independent. “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.”
Guillermo del Toro expressed his grief, writing on Bluesky: “The world lost a genial man, a genius communicator and supreme artist. I lost a friend, beloved.”
DC president and Batman artist Jim Lee described him as: “A giant among giants. His work captured the humanity, power, and emotion of his subjects in ways not seen since. Thank you for bringing to life all the tentpole moments of my childhood and beyond.”
These tributes honor Drew Struzan, the legendary movie poster artist who passed away on October 13, 2025, at the age of 78. He had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for several years.
Struzan’s official Instagram announced the 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. 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.”
Over a five-decade career, Struzan created more than 150 film posters that became inseparable from the movies themselves.
His work on the Indiana Jones franchise, Star Wars saga, Back to the Future trilogy, and Harry Potter series captured the magic and wonder that made these films cultural touchstones for generations.
Born in Oregon in 1947, Struzan moved to California to attend the ArtCenter College of Design, working his way through school by selling artwork and taking small commissions.
He began his career creating album covers for artists including the Bee Gees, Alice Cooper, and Black Sabbath. His painted sleeve for Alice Cooper’s ‘Welcome to My Nightmare’ was later cited by Rolling Stone among the classic album covers of the modern era.
Struzan’s breakthrough came in 1978 when he was invited to paint the human characters for the re-release poster of Star Wars.
From there, he became the go-to artist for Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, creating unforgettable imagery for films including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, The Thing, The Shawshank Redemption, Big Trouble in Little China, The Goonies, and countless others.
Spielberg once admitted feeling pressure to ‘live up to the art that we later were going to ask Drew to create for the poster,’ calling him ‘my favorite movie artist,’ per IGN.
“I felt that art was more than just telling the story,” Struzan explained in a 2021 interview.
“In fact, telling the story in a poster is wrong for a movie. I wasn’t looking to tell a story. I’m looking to give a person a feeling about something they could hope for.”
When asked to name his favorite poster, Struzan always gave the same answer, per MailOnline: “If I had a favorite, then I would have already done the best I can do. I’d lose my spark of creativity. My favorite is always the very next one.”
Though he largely retired in 2008 after completing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Struzan returned for select projects, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy.
His life and craft were documented in Erik Sharkey’s 2013 film Drew: The Man Behind the Poster, featuring interviews with Spielberg, Lucas, Harrison Ford, and other collaborators.
In March 2025, Struzan’s wife Dylan, revealed that he could no longer paint due to his illness.
“Drew has left a strong legacy of love and joy in the form of his work,” she wrote. “It has always been a love letter of sorts. His aim was to make the earth a better place in which to live by creating something beautiful.”