The fantasy and science fiction art worlds have lost one of their most notable names as Greg Hildebrandt passed away Thursday at age 85.
The artist had spent the past five months with issues breathing due to a side effect of heart medication he was taking.
"He fought very hard to win this battle but in the end he was just too weak," wrote his spouse, Jean, in a Twitter post on her late husband's account. "He passed away peacefully in my arms."
Hildebrandt, who collaborated with his late brother, Tim, as the "Brothers Hildebrandt" until 1981 is credited with many of science fiction and fantasy's most iconic pieces of artwork.
The duo created artwork for Star Wars in 1977 for the film's release in the United Kingdom featuring Luke and Leia in front of a background featuring the helmet of Darth Vader as well as other imagery that would becoming iconic to the film franchise.
The work of Greg and his brother were also at the forefront with author J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as the duo created a number of pieces of artwork for the literary trilogy. This includes images found in the J.R.R. Tolkien calendars of the late 1970s.
For the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, cards featuring art from Greg and Tim first appeared in the 2000 set, Urza's Destiny. The duo's name would continue to appear on art credits for the game until 2003's Legions. Greg would then become a solo artist for Magic cards.
Greg's final card for the game would appear on the card Unbender Tine from 2009's Alara Reborn until making his return to the game in 2022's Double Masters set. Art credits for the Brothers Hildebrandt would return to Magic cards in 2023 for the set The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth as a number of the cards featured the duo's LotR artwork from the 1970s.
Beyond Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Magic: The Gathering, Greg also created artwork for Marvel Comics, DC, a number of magazines, and even album artwork for the likes of Black Sabbath and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
