One of the all-time great names in fantasy and science fiction art has passed away.

Artist known for his work on “Star Wars,” “The Lord of the Rings,” and the card game “Magic: The Gathering.” Greg Hildebrandt He passed away on October 31 at the age of 85 after experiencing ongoing serious side effects from the medications.

The news of the famous artist’s death was confirmed on social media by his wife and artist friend Jean Scrocco.

“The light of my life went out. “This afternoon at 12:36 p.m., the love of my life, my best friend, and my soulmate passed away,” Scrocco wrote. Facebook post. “Greg was 85 years young. He was the sweetest man I ever knew. We worked together for 45 years. We lived 33 of these years together. We had a beautiful life, we were blessed. “Greg has been struggling for 5 months to regain his ability to breathe after a serious side effect of his heart medication.”

“He fought hard to win this fight, but in the end he was too weak,” he continued. “He passed away peacefully in my arms. He knew he was safe, loved, and would be greatly missed. I can’t imagine my life without him. He was my man, yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever. You are my heart and it is broken!”

The famous artist and his twin brother, the famous artist Tim Hildebrandt, who passed away on June 11, 2006 at the age of 67, were born in Detroit in January 1939.

The two worked together and were known as the iconic Brother Hildebrandt, creating some of the most memorable pop art ever made until they parted ways in 1981 and pursued solo careers.

Among the powerhouse duo’s famous works – which included pieces produced for “The Lord of the Rings” and “Magic: The Gathering” – was their “Style B” poster art painting for “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1977. The film features main character Luke Skywalker holding a lightsaber above his head, alongside other key characters, including Princess Leia, in front of a space scene featuring the giant visage of Darth Vader.

As a solo artist, Greg Hilderbrandt’s work has ranged from various classic novels to cover works by bands including Black Sabbath and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He designed covers for magazines such as Heavy Metal and books such as “Robin Hood”, “Dracula” and “Phantom of the Opera”.

In recent years, he provided cover art for IDW Publishing’s “Star Trek” comics and contributed to the 2022 anthology “Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds,” a charity book published to raise money for refugees from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Hilderbrandt is survived by his current wife, two daughters, and a son from his first marriage to his first wife, Diana F. Stankowski. comics.com.