Marcia Lucas, the acclaimed film editor who won an Academy Award for her work on Star Wars, has died at the age of 80. The filmmaker and ex-wife of George Lucas died on Wednesday, May 27 at her vacation home in Rancho Mirage, California, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.TMZ also confirmed the news by citing statements from her family that she passed away while surrounded by her loved ones.How did Marcia Lucas die? Cause of deathMarcia Lucas’s cause of death was metastatic cancer. Metastatic cancer occurs when cancer cells break away from the original tumor and spread to other parts of the body. The disease can spread through surrounding tissues, the bloodstream, or the lymphatic system, as per Johnson & Johnson. Often referred to as stage IV cancer, metastatic cancer can affect nearly any part of the body, although it commonly spreads to the liver, lungs, or bones.Marcia Lucas’s family remembers a pioneering editorIn a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, Lucas' family paid tribute to her legacy in the film industry. "Marcia was a force," the editor's family said in a statement to the Chronicle. "A true trailblazer for women in film and one of the most influential editors in cinematic history; she helped redefine what film editing could be and paved the way for generations of women who followed."Marcia Lucas's career highlights and oscar-winning workLucas built a distinguished career as one of Hollywood's most respected film editors. She edited George Lucas' 1973 coming-of-age film American Graffiti, earning her first Academy Award nomination. She later received a BAFTA nomination in 1976 for her supervising editing work on Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver.Her collaborations with Scorsese also included editing Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and New York, New York (1977).However, it was her contribution to Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in 1977 that became the defining achievement of her career. Lucas served as one of the film's editors and shared the Academy Award for Best Film Editing.Marcia Lucas's relationship with George LucasMarcia Lucas first met George Lucas in 1967 when both were hired to assist legendary editor Verna Fields on a documentary project. The two soon began dating and married in 1969. Their marriage lasted until 1983.According to The Secret History of Star Wars (2008), George Lucas became dissatisfied with the original rough cut of the first Star Wars film after filming had wrapped. He subsequently brought Marcia onto the project.