George Lucas celebrates engagement to girlfriend Mellody Hobson after seven years of dating

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 00:23 GMT, 4 January 2013 | UPDATED: 00:24 GMT, 4 January 2013

George Lucas is celebrating his engagement to his girlfriend of seven years..

The Star Wars creator, 68, recently popped the question to 43-year-old Mellody Hobson and his daughter Amanda took to Twitter to share her joy with the news.

Posting a link to an online article about the happy news, she tweeted: 'George Lucas, Mellody Hobson Engaged: "Star Wars’ Director, Businesswoman Set To Marry" Congratulations Dad & Mellody!:)'

Happy news: George Lucas is celebrating his engagement to Mellody Hobson; the couple, who have dated for seven years, are seen in July

This will be the first marriage for Mellody, who is the president of Chicago-based investment management firm, Ariel Investments LLC and the second for George, whose union with Marcia Lucas lasted from 1969 to 1983.

Along with Amanda, 31, George also has two other children, Katie, 26, and Jett, 19.

Last year, George made the decision to sell Lucasfilm to Disney because he felt it was time to retire from the day-to-day running of the company.

He explained he wanted the Star Wars franchise - which comprises of six movies and spin-off cartoons - to continue after his death.

In a statement, he said: 'For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next.

'It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers.

'I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime.'