Erika Goldring/Getty ImagesMichael Blake, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter, has passed away at 69-years-old after a long health battle, according to Deadline.
Blake catapulted into stardom after adapting the screenplay for Dances With Wolves in 1990—which earned him the Oscar.
History has it that Kevin Costner was responsible for convincing Blake to adapt the screenplay from the novel of the same name. The two met while working on Stacey's Knights—which Blake had written as well.
Costner famously directed and starred in the hit film, and he won for Best Director as well as Best Picture.
Shortly thereafter, Costner requested that Blake write two other screenplays for him, The Mick and The One.
Blake, who passed away on May 2, is survived by his widow Marianne Mortensen Blake as well as three children who were named after well-known Native Americans: Quanah Valdemar Blake, Monahestah Dagmar Blake, and Lozen Ingrefred Blake.
Blake's family told Deadline that while they ask for privacy during this difficult time, donations can be made in his honor to the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Horses—an organization for which Blake served as vice president.