Renson Mwakandana
Colin Cantwell, the artist behind several of the Star Wars spacecrafts, passed away at the age of 90 in his Colorado home on Friday. His longtime partner confirmed his death and posted her tribute online shortly after his death.
“I have been so lucky to be able to spend 24 years with this man,” she wrote. “We have travelled the world together and made many wonderful friends. I will try to preserve his legacy as best I can.”
Cantwell’s debut credit was in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey. After that he was asked to design and make prototypes for the X-Wing, TIE Fighter, Death Star, an Imperial Star Destroyer by Stars Wars creator George Lucas.
“He brought a lot of joy to the world with his art. And for all of us that knew him he brought a lot of joy being himself,” said Cantwell’s cousin Shannon Eric Denton via social media.
Denton noted that Cantwell, who also designed the Millennium Falcon, was “an immensely nice individual and clever in ways most people dream of.”
Cantwell, born in 1932 in Colorado, studied architecture after gaining a degree in animation. He worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Nasa during the US-Russia space competition in the 1960s, helping the American people understand the flights.
His fascination with both architecture and space propelled him to success in Hollywood, where he worked on special photographic effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey, contributing to the film’s epic space opening scene.
It should also be noted that Cantwell worked alongside TV journalist Walter Cronkite during his memorable moon landing broadcast in 1969, establishing a link between him and the astronauts.
