Wearing a buckskin dress and moccasins, Sacheen Littlefeather sent shockwaves through Hollywood when she graced the stage at the 1973 Oscars ceremony. The first Native American woman to step onto the Academy Awards stage, she bravely delivered Marlon Brando's rejection statement.
He said he could not accept the best actor award for The Godfather because of "the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry". Sacheen, who was Apache and Yaqui, was heckled and booed.
She later said veteran western star John Wayne had to be restrained from physically assaulting her. Nearly 50 years later, the Academy apologised to her for the abuse she faced and held an event in her honour.
The Screen Actors Guild member had struggled to get work in the industry after the incident. But she said it was "never too late for an apology... it's never too late for forgiveness."
The Academy of Motion Pictures announced Sacheen's death on Sunday. "Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American civil rights activist who famously declined Marlon Brando's 1973 Best Actor Academy Award, dies at 75," the Academy tweeted.
The Academy quoted Sacheen who once said: "When I am gone, always be reminded that whenever you stand for your truth, you will be keeping my voice and the voices of our nations and our people alive."
