Karen Black

Karen Black, the Illinois-born actress who appeared in more than 100 movies including the classic 1969 road movie Easy Rider, has died at a Los Angeles clinic aged 74 following a battle with cancer, reports BBC News.

Black, who almost always played troubled characters, earned an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe award for her hugely accomplished performance as a waitress who dates an upper class dropout (Jack Nicholson) in Five Easy Pieces. However, despite her impressive filmography, the actress was forced to turn to the public for help with treatment for her ampullary cancer.

An online funding appeal was set up by her husband Stephen Eckelberry in the hope of raising $60,000 for Karen to travel to Europe for treatment as part of a clinical study.

Continue reading: How 'Easy Rider' Karen Black Turned To The Public For Healthcare

Karen Black, the actress famous for her roles in films such as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces and Nashville, died yesterday (Thursday 8th August). Her husband, Stephen Eckelberry, made the announcement on his Facebook page. She passed away in a nursing facility in Santa Monica, CA after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 74 years old.

Karen Black after a performance, at the Metropolitan in New York, of her How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Sing the Song.

Eckelberry wrote: "it is with great sadness that I have to report that my wife and best friend, Karen Black has just passed away, only a few minutes ago." He thanked Black's friends and fans for their "prayers and love", adding "they meant so much to her as they did to me."

Continue reading: Award Winning Actress, Karen Black, Dies After Losing Cancer Battle Aged 74

Karen Black's cancer fundraising scheme is taking off, pulling in $32,000 of the initial $30,000 goal. The actress, whose credits include Five Easy Pieces, Airport 1975 and the classic Easy Rider, is reaching out over the internet in a bid to raise the money for her medical treatment - she had been battling cancer on and off for over two years.

The crowd-funding campaign on GoFundMe.com is looking to raise the cash to send Black for two-months of treatment in Europe. Her husband, Stephen Eckelberry, explains on the campaign's web page that Black, now 73, was first diagnosed with ampullary cancer in November 2010. She underwent surgery to remove a third of her pancreas and had extensive chemotherapy and radiation therapy and was declared clear of the disease in July 2011. However, by June 2012, the cancer had returned and spread to her lungs and lower back.

The actress now weighs just 96 pounds, down from 156 when first diagnosed with cancer. Eckleberry says the actress his living on "a modest pension" and that the couple have already used up their savings on previous treatment. "We have nothing left," Eckleberry wrote on the campaign page. "And the European treatment is not covered by insurance."

Continue reading: Karen Black's Cancer Crowd-Funding Smashes Goal Of $30,000!