Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American Activist and Actress, Dies at 75

The Academy apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather 49 years later 0:48

(CNN) --

Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress and activist who made history when she turned down the Best Actor Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, has died at the age of 75.

• The message of the indigenous woman who rejected the award on behalf of Marlon Brando and other speeches that shook the Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced his death Monday in a post shared on Twitter.

Sacheen Littlefeather speaks on behalf of Marlon Brando at the 45th Academy Awards.

The tweet, accompanied by an image of the Apache and Yaqui actress, read: “Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American Civil Rights Activist Who Rejected Marlon Brando's 1973 Academy Award for Best Actor, Dies at 75 ”.

While a cause of death was not immediately reported, Littlefeather revealed in a Facebook post in January last year that she had metastatic breast cancer.

Marlon Brando Oscar