Veteran film publicist Charles Lippincott, best known for handling the marketing campaign for George Lucas’ “Star Wars: A New Hope,” died Tuesday after being hospitalized in Vermont last week for a heart attack.
He was 80.Lippincott’s wife, Bumpy, shared the news on social media.Lippincott joined Lucasfilm in 1975 as vice president of advertising, publicity, promotion and merchandising.
He’s credited with organizing extensive promotion of the first “Star Wars” movie prior to its release in 1977 with a grass-roots campaign aimed at science-fiction fans and younger moviegoers.
Those moves included publicizing the then-unknown star Mark Hamill, who accompanied Lippincott on a promotional tour starting in 1976.The marketing guru also brought “Star Wars: A New Hope” to the San Diego Comic Con, a formerly small convention that soon became a destination for Hollywood blockbusters and fandoms.“Charley was one of the founding pillars of the “Star Wars” films and phenomenon,” said Lucas in a statement.
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