His widow said he’d been suffering from a form of blood cancer.

His novel “The Exorcist”, published in 1971, was followed two years later by the hugely successful horror movie – directed by William Friedkin – which is considered a classic.

Blatty wrote the screenplay for the story of a girl possessed by a satanic force. (Euronews)

William Peter Blatty narrates THE EXORCIST, unabridged audiobook https://t.co/CgYKAXYYU1

Photo: Jason Miller, Blatty & Ellen Burstyn. pic.twitter.com/Sl2WG0nPCl

— Eyes On Cinema (@RealEOC) 14 gennaio 2017

William Peter Blatty, author and screenwriter of "The Exorcist," has died https://t.co/F3x5Tq9n90 pic.twitter.com/dldYoLLtb1

— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) 13 gennaio 2017