'Star Wars' editor Marcia Lucas dies at 80

Marcia Lucas, the Oscar winning editor whose work helped shape the original Star Wars into a cultural phenomenon, has died at 80.

Cause of death:

Lucas passed away Wednesday in Rancho Mirage, California, surrounded by loved ones, after battling metastatic cancer, her family’s attorney confirmed to Associated Press.

In a family statement, loved ones remembered her not only for her artistry but for her spirit, “Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love. Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm, and humanity — a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum, and clarity to the screen.”

Married to Star Wars creator George Lucas from 1969 to 1983, she was often described as the saga’s “unsung hero.”

Her editing decisions were pivotal, from convincing George Lucas to include Obi Wan Kenobi in the climactic light saber duel with Darth Vader to shaping the rebel attack on the Death Star.

“Nobody really has ever tried to interweave an actual plot story into a dogfight, and we were trying to do that,” George Lucas told Rolling Stone in 1977, crediting her skill in making sense of 40,000 feet of raw footage.

Her career extended beyond the galaxy far, far away.

Lucas edited George Lucas’s THX 1138 and American Graffiti, and contributed to Martin Scorsese’s 1970s films Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and New York, New York.

She also cut Return of the Jedi in 1983.

After her divorce from George Lucas, she married Skywalker Ranch production manager Tom Rodrigues, with whom she was married until 1993.

Lucas is survived by daughters Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper, and grandchildren Felix Hallikainen, Aeliana Hallikainen, and Knox Soper.