From CBS News:
Ralph McQuarrie, the artist whose conceptual paintings were instrumental in designing the landmark "Star Wars" films, has died at age 82.
The announcement was made on his official website, ralphmcquarrie.com.
A commercial artist and designer whose career included stints at Boeing and Kaiser Graphic Arts and creating animations of Apollo space flights for CBS News, McQuarrie created the concept art that was crucial in winning 20th Century Fox's approval to put George Lucas' "Star Wars" in production.
The success of his "Star Wars" paintings launched a late feature film career for McQuarrie that included helping design such classics as "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial," "Back to the Future," "Cocoon," "Total Recall," and the original TV series "Battlestar Galactica."
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of such a visionary artist and such a humble man," George Lucas said in a statement. "Ralph McQuarrie was the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars. His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy. When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'Do it like this.'"
McQuarrie's art for the three Star Wars films decorated the walls of my room from about 10 to 16, and even when I took his pictures down--I was getting too old for Star Wars, I thought (and still do think, quite a lot)--I loved them. There is a nice sample of his work, together with a tribute, here.
RalphMcQuarrie.com
Wired GeekDad: Appreciation: Ralph McQuarrie, Star Wars Visionary, 1929 – 2012
Geekosystem.com: R.I.P. Ralph McQuarrie, The Visionary Artist Behind Star Wars
Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 7:58AM
Neato Coolville has put together this animated GIF of Ralph McQuarrie's original cover art to the novelization of Star Wars which appeared in December 1976 under the name of George Lucas (although the true author was Alan Dean Foster). I hadn't seen this original cover before.