Earlier this summer, the family of author Jonathan Rinzler revealed that he was making end of life preparations after a battle with cancer. Unfortunately, that battle has come to an end. Rinzler’s daughter, Sarah Rinzler, has announced that her father passed away on July 28. He was 58 years old.
Sarah writing: Jonathan passed away on July 28th after a nearly one-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Thank you to all for your support and love. https://t.co/e0R0JBOjpy
— J. W. Rinzler (@jwrinzler) August 4, 2021
Under the name J.W. Rinzler, he wrote numerous behind-the-scenes books about several popular movies. His best-selling book, The Making of Star Wars, was followed by editions devoted to The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Additionally, he wrote The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films.
Rinzler also authored books about Alien, Aliens, The Shining, Planet of the Apes, and more.
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In addition to writing over 20 Star Wars related titles, Rinzler was also Lucasfilm’s executive editor for 15 years. Additionally, he adapted George Lucas’ original script treatment, The Star Wars, as a comic book for Dark Horse Comics.
Last year, Rinzler released his first original novel, All Up. It’s also still in print, and available online.
According to Deadline, “the Rinzler family requests that any remembrances in Jonathan’s name be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.”
Please feel free to share your memories about J.W. Rinzler’s books in the comment section below. And if you ever met Rinzler, we would also love to hear about that as well.
