Michael Blake | 'Dances With Wolves' writer, 69

Michael Blake, 69, the Academy Award-winning writer of

Dances With Wolves

, died Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., after a long battle with cancer.

Mr. Blake wrote the novel Dances With Wolves at the urging of his longtime friend Kevin Costner. The novel was fairly unsuccessful but became a hit film after Costner asked Mr. Blake to adapt it into a movie.

The Civil War epic about an Army lieutenant who befriends a Native American tribe won seven Oscars, including one for best adapted screenplay.

Mr. Blake was an outspoken advocate for literacy, Native American history, and wild horses. He spent his later years in southern Arizona. - AP