Bingowings said:

George's father, rendered him bald ...and emotionally scarred by the resulting bullying which turned him into a loner obsessed with fast vehicles and technology.

and beard growing. ;-)

he became a hero to some until he became obsessed with building and maintaining his personal empire after falling out with his well regarded wife.

It's easy to see why Vader would become the final focus of such an author.

I think you're right on the mark with that. The parallels are too big to be coincidence. Too bad, man. 1980 George may have been able to do some interesting things with Star Wars if he hadn't alienated everyone who had helped him get there.