William Peter Blatty, Writer of the Exorcist, Dies at 89

William Peter Blatty, whose most famous novel The Exorcist became one of Hollywood's most profitable films, passed away January 12. His wife, Julie Alicia Blatty, told The Associated Press that the cause of death was multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. The author died at a hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

The Exorcist was published in 1971; his inspiration was an incident in a Washington suburb. It spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and gained more following after William Friedkin converted it into a movie. He later wrote a sequel, Legion, in 1983, which was also his basis for The Exorcist 3, one of two films he directed. His last book was The Exorcist for the 21st Century, published in 2016.

Blatty received several accolades, particularly for his writing. He won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (The Exorcist), as well as the Golden Globes for Best Screenplay (The Ninth Configuration, The Exorcist) and Best Picture (The Exorcist).

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