The Exorcist and Pink Panther writer William Peter Blatty dies aged 89 of cancer
OSCAR-WINNER William Peter Blatty had died at 89. The author of The Exorcist also directed the sequel and wrote the first Pink Panther film A Shot in the Dark and The Great Bank Robbery.
The Exorcist (1973) Trailer
The Exorcist director William Friedkin announced the news on Twitter.
He wrote: William Peter Blatty, dear friend and brother who created The Exorcist passed away yesterday."
Blatty's widow has revealed that her husband died in hospital in Bethseda, Maryland, on Thursday, January 12.
Julie Alicia Blatty added that he had been battling multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.
The Exorcist writer William Peter Blatty has died
The former truck driver and vacuum cleaner salesman wrote the novel of The Exorcist in 1971 and also penned the screenplay for the 1973 horror film, for which he won a Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Screenplay.
The tale of a possessed girl has become one of the most iconic horror films of all time and starred Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair as the tormented mother and daughter.
Blatty also directed the second sequel, The Exorcist III in 1990, which was based on his 1983 novel, Legion. The film bypassed the events of the first sequel and returned to the story of the exorcist himself, Father Karras.
Blatty with The Exorcist's Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, William Friedkin
Linda Blair in The Exorcist
Blatty's peers in the literary and film worlds have paid tribute to his passing.
Horror author Stephen King wrote: "RIP William Peter Blatty, who wrote the great horror novel of our time. So long, Old Bill."
Director Edgar Wright posted: "Rest in peace William Peter Blatty, writer of both the peerless horror The Exorcist AND the funniest Clouseau film, A Shot In The Dark."
William Blatty tributes pour in
Peter Sellers in A Shot In The Dark
Peter Sellers and Burt Kwouk in A Shot In The Dark
Batty's work on the iconic comedy film, A Shot In The Dark, is often overshadowed by his horror legacy.
The first Pink Panther movie introduced the world to Peter Sellers' bumbling Inspector Clouseau and his legendary ongoing feud with his man-servant Kato, played by Burt Kwouk.
Batty won a second Golden Globe in 1981 for the screenplay of The Ninth Configuration, beating The Elephant Man, Ordinary People and Raging Bull.