Sacheen Littlefeather, the renowned Native American actress and activist, who went up on the Oscars stage in 1973 to refuse an award on behalf of the Hollywood legend Marlon Brando, has died at the age of 75, reported Variety on Sunday, October 2, 2022.
Littlefeather's death was confirmed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over the weekend in a tweet that quoted the activist saying: “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.”
This comes just about two weeks after the Academy held a special ceremony at the Los Angeles Museum honouring Littlefeather and even apologised for the treatment she received at the Oscars in 1973, where she was famously booed off the stage.
Nearly five decades ago, Littlefeather made history when she appeared on the Oscars stage to explain why Brando would not accept his Best Actor award for The Godfather; Brando had specially requested her to go up on stage in an effort to protest against the treatment of native Americans in Hollywood.