Marcia Lucas, the Academy Award-winning editor and former wife of Star Wars creator George Lucas, has died aged 80.
According to Variety, Lucas died of cancer at her home in California on 27th May.
In a statement, her family said: “Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host, and a loyal friend whose humour and sparkle filled every room she entered. Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love.
“Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm, and humanity – a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum, and clarity to the screen.”
As Variety reports, it was Marcia Lucas’ idea for Obi-Wan Kenobi to die on the Death Star, and Mark Hamill said in an interview that “Marcia Lucas was responsible for convincing him to keep that little ‘kiss for luck’ before Carrie [Fisher] and I swing across the chasm in the first film: “her influence was such that if she wanted to keep it, it was in”.
As well as editing films for her former husband George Lucas – where she was known as “the secret weapon of Star Wars” – Marcia also edited Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver, and New York, New York. She publicly voiced her criticism of the later Star Wars movies, stating Kathless Kennedy and JJ Abrams “don’t get it”.
Lucas is survived by her daughters, grandchildren, and her “chosen family”.