'Star Wars' director Kershner dies at 87

American film director Irvin Kershner has died at the age of 87.

Kershner was best known as the director of second Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back.

According to Yahoo News, Kershner's goddaughter Adriana Santini confirmed his death earlier today following his long illness.

As well as directing the most popular instalment in the long-running science fiction series, Kershner also helmed Robocop 2 and unofficial James Bond film Never Say Never Again.

Despite his advanced years, Kershner was still working on a number of film projects at the time of his death.