‘Exorcist’ Author William Peter Blatty Dies at 89

William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist, has passed away at the age of 89.

Blatty’ adapted his novel, which William Fiedkin turned into one of the greatest horror films of all time, into an Oscar winning screenplay back in 1973. Friedkin himself tweeted the news earlier this morning:

William Peter Blatty, dear friend and brother who created The Exorcist passed away yesterday

— William Friedkin (@WilliamFriedkin) January 13, 2017

While The Exorcist became the pinnacle of horror cinema for the foreseeable future, it mustn’t be overlooked that Blatty wrote and directed The Exorcist III, easily the best of the sequels and a terrific thriller in its own right.

Blatty was and will always be remembered as a horror writer, producing stories into his twilight years, and  but he also collaborated with Peter Sellers on occasion. He helped write A Shot in The Dark, the best of the Pink Panther sequels.