VIDEO : Star Wars legend Gary Kurtz Dies At Age 77

Star Wars legend Gary Kurtz has died. Kurtz produced the 1977 mega-hit that spawned the Star Wars franchise and its 1980 sequel. According to UpRoxx, the 77-year old producer had been battling cancer for the last year. Kurtz got his start in Hollywood as an assistant director on Monte Hellman?s Ride in the Whirlwind before moving on to serve as a production manager, camera operator, and an associate producer on a number of films. In 1973 Kurtz became friends with George Lucas and the rest is cinematic history.