Ralph McQuarrie, the artist responsible for some of the most iconic character and spaceship designs in SF movie history, has died at the age of 82. McQuarrie worked on films such as Star Wars, Cocoon (for which he won an Academy Award for his special effects), Close Encounters of the Third Kind and ET.

His conceptual designs whilst working on the original Star Wars trilogy were the basis of some of the film franchise’s best-loved characters such as Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO. Star Wars director George Lucas said that he was saddened by McQuarrie’s passing, calling him a visionary artist and a humble man.

Read the BBC obituary HERE