Legendary 'Star Wars' artist Greg Hildebrandt dies at 85

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

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

Greg and Tim were born on January 23, 1939, in Detroit. They developed a passion for drawing at the age of six, encouraged by their mother to stimulate their imaginations. They studied art at the Meinzinger School in Detroit and began their careers at the Jam Handy Organization, creating educational and industrial films.

In 1963, they decided to move 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 "Heavy Metal" magazine covers.

In the 1990s, he began a series of paintings called "American Beauties"—pin-ups styled after the 1940s and 50s. After some 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 strived for perfection in every project he undertook.