Sacheen Littlefeather who turned down an Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, has died

Sacheen Littlefeather, who turned down an Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, has died

Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American woman who rejected Marlon Brando's Oscar for 'The Godfather' at the 1973 Academy Awards, has died.

She died of breast cancer on Sunday, according to the Academy of Motion Pictures. The Oscars also apologized for the incident of abuse against him last June.

Littlefeather had only 60 seconds to speak about the rights of Native Americans at the Oscars. "It is with great regret that he cannot accept this award," Littlefeather told the audience from the stage, "because of Hollywood's exploitation of the Red Indian tribe."

He was allowed to deliver the full text of his speech at the press conference held afterwards, the full text of which was published by the New York Times.

Mary Louise Cruz, Littlefeather, was born in California and continued to speak for indigenous people for the rest of her life. The Academy, the organizer of the Oscar Awards, released a statement and remembered Littlefeather.