'Star Wars' effects veteran dies, aged 67

Renowned special effects artist Grant McCune has died from cancer, aged 67.

The artist passed away at his home in California on Monday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, reports WENN.

McCune was one of the men behind the shark model created for Jaws in 1975 before working on the original 1977 Star Wars movie, which won him the Academy Award for 'Best Effects, Visual Effects'.

He would gain another Oscar nomination in the same category three years later for work on Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

The body of his work was as chief model maker and he continued in this role on a number of popular movies such as Caddyshack, Spaceballs, Ghostbusters II, Speed and the most recent Rambo movie.

McCune is survived by his wife, his two children and his sister.