Inside 'Star Wars' Mogul George Lucas' Incredible 58-Year Battle With Deadly Disease as He Hits 81
George Lucas' little-known medical condition has been revealed as he turns 81-years-old.
May 14 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
While George Lucas has been a film revolutionary for decades, the Star Wars creator has been secretly battling a serious medical condition behind the scenes, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Lucas, who turned 81 on May 14, has been living with type 2 diabetes since his early 20s.
Lucas was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when he was 23-years-old.
Lucas was diagnosed with the lifelong disease when he was just 23 years old.
In 1967, Lucas had recently graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor of fine arts degree in film. Instead of pursuing a film career, the future Indiana Jones creator attempted to join the US Air Force as an officer but was turned down because of his reckless driving history.
In a twisted turn of fate, Lucas was later drafted by the US Army for the Vietnam War.
Medical testing for the US Army revealed Lucas had the same disease that killed his paternal grandfather.
While it appeared Lucas would finally get to serve his country, a routine physical exam derailed his plans once again.
Medical testing revealed the future director had type 2 diabetes, the same disease that killed his paternal grandfather.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, type 2 diabetes is "is a chronic condition that happens when you have persistently high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia)."
Without treatment, type 2 diabetes can cause serious, life-threatening health problems including "heart disease, kidney disease and stroke."
Lucas has been able to successfully manage the chronic illness for 58 years.
Luckily for Star Wars fans, Lucas has successfully managed his condition for nearly six decades.
In 2018, Diabetes UK applauded Lucas as an example of how to live with the disease, saying: "George Lucas set a great example for millions of diabetic patients around the world by keeping his blood sugar levels under control for about 50 long years."
With management, Lucas has been able to make his mark on Hollywood as one of the most successful filmmakers of the 20th century.
Lucas hasn't let his disease stop him from making some of the most iconic films in Hollywood.
Following his diagnosis, Lucas moved from L.A. to San Francisco, where he founded American Zoetrope with Francis Ford Coppola.
He went on to write and direct the film THX 1138 in 1971. Although the movie was critically acclaimed, it was seen as a financial disaster.
But Lucas was not discouraged. His next work, American Graffiti, was produced through his newly founded Lucasfilm in 1973.
American Graffiti, based on his childhood growing up in Modesto, California, was a hit.
The film garnered five Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture.
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Four short years later Lucas changed the movie industry – and film aficionados – forever with Star Wars in 1977. The iconic work became the highest grossing film of its time.
Lucas won six Oscars and launched a cult following spanning decades and generations.
Over the course of his career, Lucas has either director or wrote 10 of the top 100 highest grossing movies of all time.
