Charles Lippincott has died at 80. "Charley has been in the ICU on a ventilator since Thurs night." Lippincott's wife wrote on his Facebook page. "After 48 hrs, they tried removing the ventilator to see if Charley could breathe on his own. He could not."
Lippincott was an advertising publicity sponsor for films such as Flash Gordon, Westworld, Alien, and the original Star Wars. He was responsible for working with 20th Century Fox to market the original Star Wars film, including trademarking character names.
Lippincott also secured deals with Kenner, who manufactured the original Star Wars action figures; Marvel Comics, who created a comic adaptation of A New Hope; and Del Rey, who published the original novel. He also started publicizing the film at sci-fi conventions; according to Lippincott, many fans "really got off on it. They felt liked, they were being accepted into something. And they loved the idea that they were the first to know."
Many fans and scholars have pointed to his work as the reason that Star Wars became a blockbuster success, as well as a pop culture phenomenon.
EDITOR’S NOTE: CBR’s original story incorrectly reported that Mr. Lippincott had died due to complications from coronavirus (COVID-19). We regret the error.
(via FanthaTracks)