Star Wars Trilogy Editor and Former Wife of George Lucas, Marcia Lucas, Passes Away
One of the key people behind the original Star Wars trilogy, and within the life and career of George Lucas, has died. Marcia Lucas, the former wife and editor of the first three films in all their untouched, practical-effect glory, has passed away.
According to reports, Marcia Lucas passed away from metastatic cancer at her home in Rancho Mirage, California. A statement issued by her family says she was surrounded by her loved ones. It’s not known if George Lucas was by her bedside at the time, but details are being kept private.
The ex-couple had a complicated relationship after their divorce in the early 1980s, which was described as messy, acrimonious, and devastating. It not only ended their marriage, but also spelled doom for their working relationship, permanently. A biographical account in Brian Jay Jones’s George Lucas: A Life claims the union was already over, but they kept up appearances to promote Return of the Jedi.
Their divorce settlement was an even split. They maintained joint custody of their adopted daughter, though they ceased speaking to each other, and Marcia received $50 million. George wasn’t bankrupt afterward, but he was drained enough financially to halt the expansion of Skywalker Ranch at the time. He also had to scale back production on several projects.
She was subsequently cut out of the behind-the-scenes saga of Star Wars’s success despite her Oscar-winning contributions to the final edit of the first film. Many credit her with saving the original 1977 movie from embarrassment, but because of personal trials, she became “the forgotten Lucas.”
Marcia Lucas also worked on her then-husband’s second feature American Graffiti, which got her noticed by Martin Scorsese, who appointed her the supervising editor on his renowned classic Taxi Driver. It was a hectic job because of the intensive labor involved in piecing togetherRobert De Niro’s chaotic voice-overs and improvisation into a coherent whole. Conveying the slow mental decline of his character, Travis Bickle, was a painstaking effort that delayed her involvement with Star Wars.
Despite the estrangement between parties and her virtual erasure from the legacy, Lucasfilm paid tribute to Marcia Lucas in a statement acknowledging her contributions to their success after decades of silence.
“Lucasfilm was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Marcia Lucas,” they shared. “The 80-year-old was one of the three editors to take home an Oscar for 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope.” They conclude with, “Lucasfilm joins the global filmmaking community in mourning the loss of Marcia Lucas.’’
