Hollywood legend Jeff Olson died at the age of 77 on Sunday, June 21. He was an iconic visual effects producer and modelmaker who worked on films such as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the Star Trek films and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, during his quarter-century tenure at Industrial Light and Magic.

No cause of death has been revealed, but the company confirmed his death in a moving Instagram post. Alongside a black and white image of Jeff smiling, they penned: "The ILM community is heartbroken to lose our dear friend and former colleague, Jeff Olson. Over nearly 25 years with the company, Jeff worked as a modelmaker, model supervisor, and visual effects producer on many classic projects, from Willow and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and A Series of Unfortunate Events. His career spanned momentous change in the art form and industry, and no matter the techniques employed on a given show, Jeff was always committed to the team, leading his crews with humour and kindness."

Tributes flooded in for the star as news of his death became public. On Facebook, a former colleague penned: "Very sad to hear the news just now that ILM VFX Producer Jeff Olson passed away this morning. I always loved working with Jeff at ILM. He was kind, happy, extremely experienced and always made all of us feel truly appreciated. Rest well, old friend. You were a class act and are already missed by all of us who were lucky enough to know you and work with you. xoxo"

Antoehr added: " So sad, Jeff was one of the people who hired me both in the model shop and then later as an art director. He was such a wonderful man, who saw something in me. I was bummed not to see him at last year’s reunion. I pray for strength and healing for his family."

A third chimed in: "I am so sorry to learn of this news. I worked closely with Jeff, especially during The Phantom Menace, in which we created a VFX production/editorial pipeline, pretty much from scratch. I’m sure many can relate when I say that we were all 'in the trenches together.' My Sincere Condolences to Jeff’s family, friends and fellow ILM colleagues…"

A fourth shared: "So sorry to hear this sad news. Jeff was a true professional who respected those he worked with and was totally respected in return. A class act all the way. My condolences to his family."

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