Lucasfilm has posted a statement mourning the death of Marcia Lucas, George Lucas‘ former wife who was one of three to share an Oscar for editing “Star Wars.”
The editor of iconic ’70s films including “Taxi Driver” died Wednesday in Rancho Mirage, Calif following a battle with metastatic cancer. She was 80.
“Lucasfilm was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Marcia Lucas. The 80-year-old was one of the three editors to take home an Oscar for 1977’s ‘Star Wars: A New Hope,’” the statement said.
It continued, “After Lucasfilm’s establishment in 1971, production began on George Lucas’ newest feature film, ‘American Graffiti’ (1973). Marcia Lucas joined her mentor Verna Fields as editor of the film, for which the pair received an Oscar nomination. Marcia then worked for director Martin Scorsese on ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’ (1974) and ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976) as Lucasfilm readied ‘Star Wars: A New Hope.’
“As the film entered post-production, George Lucas found that a near total restart was required, and Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch joined the editorial team with Marcia, who eventually departed to work on Scorsese’s ‘New York, New York’ (1977). Along with Chew and Hirsch, she would go on to win the Oscar for ‘Star Wars’ in 1978.
“In succeeding years, Marcia contributed to other Lucasfilm productions, including ‘More American Graffiti’ (1979), ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980), and ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ (1983), among others.
“’I love film editing,’ Marcia once told a reporter. ‘I have an innate ability to take good material and make it better, and to take bad material and make it fair.’
“Lucasfilm joins the global filmmaking community in mourning the loss of Marcia Lucas.”
Marcia Lucas’ family also issued a statement, saying, “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.”
