Greg Hildebrandt, iconic 'Star Wars' artist, dies at 85

Hildebrandt passed away in Denville, New Jersey, after several months battling the side effects of heart medication, his son, Greg Jr., announced online.

Hildebrandt gained fame, among other things, for creating movie posters with his late twin brother, Tim. Together, they created the famous "Style B" poster for the British version of George Lucas's "Star Wars" from 1977.

Greg and Tim were born on 23 January 1939 in Detroit. Their mother encouraged them to stimulate their imaginations when they were six years old, and they developed a passion for drawing. They studied art at the Meinzinger School in Detroit and began their careers at the Jam Handy Organisation, creating educational and industrial films.

In 1963, they moved to New York to work for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, making documentary films about world hunger. The next breakthrough in their career came with the "Lord of the Rings" calendars published between 1976 and 1978 by Ballantine Books.

After the success of "Star Wars" and "Clash of the Titans" (1981), the brothers decided to work separately. Greg created illustrations for children's books and designed covers for "Heavy Metal" magazine.

In the 1990s, he began a series of paintings called "American Beauties" - pin-ups styled after the 1940s and '50s. After several years, he returned to collaborate with Tim, creating a collection of Marvel Masterpieces trading cards.

Greg Hildebrandt also worked with Marvel Comics, creating images of characters such as Deadpool, Thor, and Captain America. His work attracted the attention of Michael Jackson, who invited him to his Neverland Ranch.

Greg's family remembers him as a man who led a life full of artistic discipline and strove for perfection in every project he undertook.