Legendary Hollywood film poster designer Drew Struzan dies aged 78
15 October 2025, 11:38
Drew was responsible for illustrating the iconic posters for franchises including Back to the Future, Star Wars and The Muppets.
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World-renowned film poster artist Drew Struzan has died aged 78, his manager has confirmed.
Responsible for illustrating some of cinema’s most iconic movie posters for franchises including Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Drew’s work conjures up happy memories of favourite films for generations of cinema goers.
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His hand-painted works for films such as E.T: The Extra Terrestrial, Back to the Future, and The Goonies as well as The Shawshank Redemption, Hellboy and The Thing are all as loved by film fans as the films themselves.
Drew also worked on posters for The Muppets franchise, the original Blade Runner, and illustrated the American poster for the first Harry Potter film.
He retired in 2008 after working on the poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but returned to work for three further special commissions: Stephen King’s The Dark Tower (2012); Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the Batkid Begins documentary in 2015; and How to Train Your Dragon in 2019.
Announcing Drew’s death via social media, his manager penned: “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.”
Drew’s family confirmed his death in a separate Facebook post, revealing the artist had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Stars from across the film industry have been paying tribute to the much-loved artist after news of his death broke on Tuesday (October 14).
Steven Spielberg shared: “Drew made event art. His posters made many of our movies into destinations...
“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. His illustrations fully captured the excitement, tone and spirit of each of my films his artwork represented,” George Lucas penned.
“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.”
Guillermo Del Toro wrote: “The world lost a genial man, a genius communicator and supreme artist. I lost a friend – beloved Drew.”
