3/4/12

Ralph McQuarrie (1929-2012)


 It is with great sadness that I note the passing of one of my last living heroes, Ralph McQuarrie.  

My personal list of living heroes and luminary figures of unbridled creativity is dwindling at an all-too-quick pace.

I once wrote to him, and he sent me a page from his sketchbook, with a lovely hand-written reply, that I treasure to this day. Rest in piece, one of the last true Geniuses of this age.

In the book I wrote last year, THE CANTINA COMPENIUM, here is the paragraph I composed to introduce him:

"On the short list of names without whom we would have no Star Wars, McQuarrie’s name should be just under that of Lucas. Besides designing Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Stormtroopers, the droids, and several sets for the film, contributing heavily to the overall look of Lucas’ story, his amazing fingerprints are all over the rest of the first trilogy. His vibrant, painstakingly-drafted masterworks are true treasures, combining the lines and discipline of a master draftsman with the unbridled creativity
of a true visionary."

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