Actress Karen Black dies

Actress Karen Black’s battle with cancer has ended with her death. The actress died at the age of 74.

Black used her fight against cancer to create a crowd-funding website earlier this year. Black raised thousands of dollars to pay for treatments she hoped to receive in Europe.

“She was a stellar person in every area of her life,” agent Sarabeth Schedeen wrote. “Smart, funny, talented, tenacious, supportive, and loving. Everyone who knew her will miss her.”

According to Black’s husband, Black survived weeks longer than doctors expected. Doctors repeatedly told him to start hospice, as Black was about to die.

Black studied under acting coach Lee Strasberg in New York when she first began her career. Black made her Broadway debut in “The Playroom” in 1965.

Her career on the big screen began with “You’re a Big Boy Now” in 1966, but it was her acting alongside Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in “Easy Rider” that brought her to fame in 1969.

Black was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her work with Jack Nicholson in “Five Easy Pieces”.