Lucasfilm Pens Heartfelt Tribute To Marcia Lucas Following Her Death At 80

Following the death of Marcia Lucas, the former wife of George Lucas, Lucasfilm posted a heartfelt statement, remembering her for her incredible work and contributions.

"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 began. "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," Lucasfilms continued. "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."

The statement also included a quote from Marcia in which she expressed her love for her work.

"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."

Lucas died on Wednesday, May 27, in Rancho Mirage, California, with her family's attorney listing the cause of death as cancer. In a statement from her family, Marcia is remembered as "a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host, and a loyal friend whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered."

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 8:45 AM.