Lucasfilm has lost a legend in Star Wars in the form of producer Gary Kurtz. News just came out that Kurtz has died at the age of 78 after a yearlong battle with cancer.
His death was confirmed by Fanthatracks and a heartwarming message from Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew:
If you follow Kurtz's career, you'll know that he's been attached as George Lucas' producer ever since American Graffiti. Kurtz went on to work on Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back and it was even said that he was the one who initially conceptualized "The Force," suggesting to Lucas that a ‘sufficiently universal religion' would give the Star Wars universe more depth.
It was said that it was Kurtz's idea to even make Empire Strikes Back with Irvin Kershner as Lucas wanted to make a follow-up to American Graffiti.
Kurtz was also asked to produce Return of the Jedi, but he had declined to see that a lot of the material in it was already seen before (e.g., the return to Tatooine and the Death Star II). Kurtz then went on to work with Jim Henson, and ended up producing films like The Dark Crystal and Return to Oz. He even produced Slipstream which starred Mark Hamill.
No doubt, Kurtz has left a legacy of films that have universally been loved by generations of fans. He was considered to be a pioneer of filmmaking, and his contributions to the craft will not go unnoticed.
Rest in peace, Mr. Kurtz.
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