Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American activist who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar, dies at 75

Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress who famously declined Marlon Brandon's best actor Oscar in 1973, has died.

Her death came weeks after she received a long-overdue apology from the Academy Awards. Nearly 50 years ago, the actress and activist rejected an Oscar on behalf of "The Godfather" star Brando, who boycotted the ceremony to protest Hollywood's negative portrayals of Native Americans.

Related: Sacheen Littlefeather apology is a reminder that Native Americans are still 'left out' in Hollywood

Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American civil rights activist who famously declined Marlon Brando’s 1973 Best Actor Academy Award, dies at 75

But as Hollywood still struggles to make meaningful strides for Indigenous representation, some members of the Native American community found the public apology to Littlefeather the bare minimum. 

"Honestly, it's been 50 years," Eric Buffalohead, chair of the American Indian, First Nations and Indigenous Studies department at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, told USA TODAY after the Academy event

Littlefeather became the first Native American woman to speak on stage at the Oscars. Wearing a buckskin dress and moccasins, she delivered a 60-second speech explaining that Brando could not accept the award because of "the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry."