Marcia Lucas, Oscar-Winning Editor of “Star Wars” and George Lucas' Ex-Wife, Dies at 80

Daniel S. LevineSat, May 30, 2026 at 1:59 AM UTC

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George and Marcia Lucas in 1977
Credit: Lynn Karlin/WWD/Penske Media via Getty -

Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar for her work on Star Wars, has died at 80

She co-edited the 1977 blockbuster, as well as Return of the Jedi, Taxi Driver and American Graffiti

Marcia was married to George Lucas from 1969 to 1983

Marcia Lucas, who was instrumental in shaping her ex-husband George Lucas’ Star Wars into the smash hit it became in 1977, has died. The Oscar-winning editor was 80.

Marcia died on Wednesday, May 27, from metastatic cancer at her home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with her family by her side, her family attorney said in a statement to PEOPLE. TMZ was the first to report her death.

“Marcia was a force,” her family said in a statement to PEOPLE, through her attorney. “A true trailblazer for women in film and one of the most influential editors in cinematic history; she helped redefine what film editing could be and paved the way for generations of women who followed.”

Marcia was born in Modesto, Calif., and raised in North Hollywood. She met George when they were working as assistants for film editor Verna Fields. They married in 1969, and both would go on to be major figures in the New Hollywood movement. While George was getting his start under Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope, Marica established her editing career as an assistant on Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool and Coppola’s The Rain People, both released in 1969.

George’s first three movies were all co-edited by Marcia, beginning with THX-1138 (1971). She earned her first Oscar nomination for George’s first major hit, American Graffiti (1973), sharing the nod with Fields. She won an Oscar for Star Wars, alongside Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch. In 1983, she returned to the Star Wars franchise to co-edit Return of the Jedi with Sean Barton and Duwayne Dunham.

“I love film editing,” Marcia told TIMEin 1983. “I have an innate ability to take good material and make it better, and to take bad material and make it fair. I think I’m even an editor in life.”

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Marcia Lucas in June 2019
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

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Aside from her work with George, Marcia also edited Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976) and New York, New York (1977).

“She will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, an incredible friend, a loving mother, a generous host, and a woman whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered,” Marcia’s family said in a statement. “Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember something even greater: the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love.”

George and Marcia adopted a daughter, Amanda, who was born in 1981. They divorced in 1983, and Marcia married artist Tom Rodrigues later that year. Marcia and Rodriguez also had a daughter, Amy, and divorced in 1993.

She made a brief return to filmmaking in the late 1990s, serving as an executive producer on No Easy Way and producing the short film A Good Son.

Marcia is survived by her daughters, three grandchildren and her chosen family, Sarah Dyer and Jon Taylor. Her family asked for privacy as they mourn her passing and "celebrate her extraordinary life and legacy."

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