Star Wars 2018 - In Memoriam

Every year inevitably we lose members of the Star Wars family, always too soon. This year was no different, so here’s a look back at the family members we lost in this far away galaxy…



Allison Shearmur

Allison Shearmur was a film producer who worked on many films over the years including the four Hunger Games films, Cinderella and Power Rangers. And although she went to law school, becoming a member of the State Bar of California, around these parts we would know her as one of the three main producers on 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and this year’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Allison Shearmur on IMDB.

Debbie Lee Carrington

In the business since 1981, Debbie Lee Carrington has many, many titles on her resumé including Howard the Duck, Men in Black and Total Recall (1990), just to name a few. She’s known to us as "Weechee" and "Romba" having played an Ewok in Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.

Debbie Lee Carrington on IMDB.

Michael Ford

English born set decorator Michael Ford, who passed away at age 90, worked on some of the biggest films of all time including 1997’s Titanic and 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Working in the business since 1967, he would find himself working on back-to-back Star Wars films, decorating sets for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Michael Ford on IMDB.

Bong Dazo

Angelo Ty “Bong” Dazo, who introduced Manga style comics to the Philippines in 1988, was an artist for Darkhorse Comics. He worked on several of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic issues and was one of the main artists for the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed graphic novel, published back in 2008.

See Bong Dazo's work at www.glasshousegraphics.com.

Marie Severin

Marie Severin was a comic book artist who began working in the industry in the 1950’s and was the co-creator of the character Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman! Marie worked on the very first issue Marvel’s Star Wars back in 1977 and would contribute to many issues after that including work on Droids and Ewoks.

See Marie's work at comicbookdb.com.



Gary Kurtz

Even though they had a falling out years later, Gary Kurtz and George Lucas are the two men most responsible for the making of Star Wars, other than perhaps Alan Ladd Jr. The film wasn’t his first nor would it be his last but this franchise and him would become synonymous with each other forever. Would Star Wars exist without Gary Kurtz? Perhaps not.

Gary Kurtz on IMDB.

Marty Balin

Balin was the founder and lead singer of the famous American rock bands Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. Singing lead, Marty and Jefferson Starship appeared in The Star Wars Holiday Special performing “Light the Sky on Fire” in the unnamed holographic band segment.

Carlos Ezquerra

Best known as the co-creator of Judge Dredd, Spanish artist Carlos Ezquerra worked on six-issue run for Darkhorse Comics in 1998/1999 called “Mara Jade: By the Emperor’s Hand” His first taste of Star Wars was a Boba Fett one-off called “Boba Fett ½: Salvage” in 1997.

See more of Carlo's work at comicvine.gamespot.com.

Stan Lee

Yes, the biggest name in comic book history, Stan Lee, passed away this year at the age of 95. His resumé speaks for itself as he’s mostly responsible for some of the biggest characters ever created. Funny enough, even though the series is credited with saving Marvel at the time, his involvement with the original Star Wars comics run was limited as he originally declined the series.

Visit therealstanlee.com for more information.



Gloria Katz

Besides writing American Graffiti and Howard the Duck, and handling screenplay duties for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Gloria Katz’s greatest contribution to cinematic history remains uncredited. George Lucas asked Katz to “polish” the script of Star Wars back in 1977, resulting in roughly 30% of the dialogue used belonging to her. She is also responsible for shaping Princess Leia into the strong, assertive women we see in the final product.

Gloria Katz on IMDB.

MTFBWY.

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