Fan Favorite 'Star Wars' Author J. W. Rinzler Has Passed Away At 58
It is a sad time for Star Wars fans around the globe, as we accept the loss of another prominent figure involved with the galaxy far, far away - celebrated writer Jonathan Rinzler, better known as J. W. Rinzler, has tragically lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and passed away at the age of 58. For those who don't recognize the name, Rinzler was responsible for some of the best books linked to the making of some of Hollywood's biggest and most famous movies. But he is, perhaps, best known for his books related to the Star Wars franchise.
LucasBooks, a subsidiary of LucasFilm, published The Art of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and The Making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith back in 2005, both penned by Rinzler, along with Star Wars: Visionaries for which he also wrote the introduction. Two years later, in 2007, we would then get his most notable book The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind The Original Film, after which he would pen similar books for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
On top of these, he would also go on to write The Sounds of Star Wars, Star Wars: The Blueprints, and even the eight-part Dark Horse comic series Star Wars. His contribution to the franchise is unquestionable and, from his books, you can see he wrote with passion. This makes it all the more difficult to realize we will never again see a new book written by him, and with all the new content set to be released in the coming years, it is a real shame.
He was responsible for bringing all sorts of behind the scenes information to fans as well as some exclusive never before seen photos and concept art. The last major book he worked on was The Making of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, this was famously cancelled before its intended 2016 release.
Interestingly, his writing for Star Wars was not limited to behind-the-scenes and making of books. Following plans to begin work on The Clone Wars, he lobbied to be part of the show and write for it. He was credited as writer for the season 6 episodes "The Disappeared, Part 1" and "The Disappeared, Part 2." He also tried to be involved in the planned live-action series Star Wars: Underworld, which was set to take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, however, this was put on hold by Lucas due to budgetary constraints.
Other notable work from Rinzler, separate from the world of Star Wars, include The Making of Alien, The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, The Making of Planet of the Apes, and many more. Be sure to check them out, as they are definitely worth the read.
The announcement of his passing came via a Twitter post by his daughter Sarah, in which she confirmed he "passed away on July 28th after nearly a one-year battle with pancreatic cancer," at the very young age of 58, which you can view below:
At 58, he was still very young to be sadly taken away, and I'm sure I speak for all fans of Star Wars when I say his work has brought a lot of joy to many, many fans and he will be sadly missed.
Our thoughts and condolences from everyone at Culture Slate go out to his family and friends at this very difficult time.
Source(s): CBR, Twitter, Wookieepedia