It's a sad day for the Rebel Alliance.

Grant McCune, the artist who brought such iconic characters as R2-D2 to life for 1977's Star Wars has died from pancreatic cancer. He was 67.

McCune, who also appeared in the film as a Death Star gunner, won an Oscar for his work as part of George Lucas' visual effects team, an acheivement that sparked a decades-long career as one of Hollywood's top visual effects designers.

He earned a second Academy Award nomination for his work on 1980's Star Trek: The Motion Picture and went on to handle the visuals for blockbusters like Speed, Batman Forever and Spider-Man.