Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather, whose historic and headline-making surprise appearance at the 1973 Academy Awards was heard around the world, has died at 75 years old.
Littlefeather passed away Sunday in the Northern California city of Novato after a years-long battle with breast cancer that had metastasized in recent years, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It’s been nearly 50 years since Littlefeather — then 26 — took the stage in place of Marlon Brando, who won the Best Actor Oscar for “The Godfather”, and delivered a message on Brando’s behalf about the mistreatment and oppression of Native Americans.
On Sunday, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced her passing, tweeting, “Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American civil rights activist who famously declined Marlon Brando’s 1973 Best Actor Academy Award, dies at 75.” READ MORE: Coolio Dead at 59: Inside the Hip-Hop Legend’s Career In August, The Academy shared an apology for the subsequent fallout from her act of protest.
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