LOS ANGELES\u2014William Peter Blatty, the author of the novel \u201cThe Exorcist\u201d and writer of its Oscar-winning big-screen adaptation, has died aged 89, the director of the iconic horror movie announced Friday.
Blatty wrote several books but his signature achievement was the 1971 novel that told the story of a 12-year-old girl whose vile behavior leads a young priest to conclude that she is possessed by a demon.
The novel was panned by critics but went on to sell 13 million copies, topping The New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks, and is retrospectively considered to be one of the greatest horror novels of all time.
Blatty won an Oscar for his screenplay of his own book for the 1973 film and later wrote and directed a sequel, 1990\u2019s \u201cThe Exorcist III.\u201d
The original film, directed by William Friedkin and starring Linda Blair, was a box-office hit and cult sensation that sparked a worldwide debate about the occult within the Catholic Church and inspired a generation of horror filmmakers.
Blatty, raised a devout Roman Catholic, died at a hospital near his home in Bethesda, Maryland, on Thursday, but it was announced on social media by Friedkin on Friday.
\u201cWilliam Peter Blatty, dear friend and brother who created \u2018The Exorcist\u2019 passed away yesterday,\u201d he said, prompting a torrent of tributes from the horror-writing community.
\u201cRIP William Peter Blatty, who wrote the great horror novel of our time. So long, Old Bill,\u201d tweeted Stephen King, whose books have sold more than 350 million copies.
The son of Lebanese immigrants, Blatty was born into poverty in New York and graduated from Georgetown University before earning his living as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman.
During a diverse career he was also a psychological warfare specialist in the US Air Force and a public relations director at Loyola University of Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.
Although best-known for \u201cThe Exorcist,\u201d Blatty specialized in comedy, penning \u201cPromise Her Anything\u201d (1965), which starred Warren Beatty, \u201cWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy?\u201d (1966) and \u201cThe Great Bank Robbery\u201d (1969).
He collaborated several times with director Blake Edwards, co-writing the Pink Panther sequel \u201cA Shot in the Dark\u201d (1964) and \u201cDarling Lili\u201d (1970) which starred screen legends Rock Hudson and Julie Andrews.
\u201cYou might only know Blatty from \u2018The Exorcist,\u2019 but his array of talents could practically make your head spin. He will be missed,\u201d said film blog Screen Crush.
\u201cRest in peace William Peter Blatty, writer of both the peerless horror \u2018The Exorcist\u2019 AND the funniest Clouseau film, \u2018A Shot In The Dark,’\u201d added Edgar Wright, the British director of hit zom-com \u201cShaun of the Dead.\u201d
He is survived by his wife, Julie Alicia Witbrodt, who told The Washington Post her husband was suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of cancer.
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