Melissa Mathison | 'E.T.' screenwriter, 65

Melissa Mathison, 65, the screenwriter who crafted the enchanting worlds of family films including

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

, died Wednesday after a bout with neuroendocrine cancer, her sister, Melinda Mathison Johnson, said.

The Los Angeles native had a humble but high-profile start - her first credited work was in assistant roles on The Godfather: Part II and Apocalypse Now, before she broke out with her script for The Black Stallion, which was released as a feature-length film in 1979.

Throughout her career, Ms. Mathison often collaborated with producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall and worked with directors such as Frank Oz on The Indian in the Cupboard and Martin Scorsese on Kundun.

But history will most fondly remember her for fleshing out the story of that friendly, homesick alien E.T. The film, directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1982, would become one of the highest grossing of all time.

Ms. Mathison was married to Harrison Ford for 21 years before they divorced in 2001. They have two children. - AP