Sacheen Littlefeather husband, children, net worth, cause of death

Sacheen Cruz Littlefeather, who on behalf of Marlon Brando turned down the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1973 died on Sunday, according to a tweet from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. She was 73.

She was there to turn down Brando’s award for his role in the iconic mafia movie, The Godfather. Littlefeather took to the stage in 1973 and spoke about the film industry’s mistreatment of Native Americans. During her speech, the crowd was divided, with some cheering her on in support with others booing her presence. In fact, one of the members of the audience, John Wayne, famous for his role in cowboy films, tried to storm on stage to stop her speaking, but was restrained by six security guards. 

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Following her speech, Littlefeather went on to work in hospice care while continuing to advocate for the rights of Native American issues. She also produced a host of films which involved stories about Native Americans. Earlier this year she received an apology from the Academy, and said that she was “stunned” by the gesture. 

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Littlefeather kept details of her personal life very private and it is unknown whether she married or had any children. 

Throughout her life, Littlefeather struggled with her health, falling ill with tuberculosis at the age of 4 for which she needed to be hospitalised. She received treatment in an oxygen tent. She also suffered from mental health issues and was suicidal at one point in her life and was institutionalized for a year. 

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At the age of 29, her lungs collapsed after which sometime in the early 1990s she was detected with colon cancer. However, by 1991 it was reported that she was recovering from radical cancer surgery. 

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Fast forward to 2018 where she announced that she had developed a Stage 4 breast cancer, a recurrence of a 2012 cancer that had apparently been in remission. In 2021, she reported that it had metastasised to her right lung and that she was terminally ill.