Karen Black died of ampullary cancer in Los Angeles on Thursday. Black played leading roles in 1970s cult films "Five Easy Pieces" and "Nashville." She was 74.

Black died at West Hills Health & Rehab Center and had been suffering from cancer in recent years, her publicist Elliot Mintz said, Reuters reports.

Black was diagnosed with ampullary cancer, which is similar to pancreatic cancer, in 2010. She had one-third of her pancreas removed, Aceshowbiz.com reports.

In April of this year, she started an online fundraising page to help pay for her medical treatment. She and her husband raised about $62,000, according to her fundraising page.

The funds were to pay for an experimental treatment in Europe. However, Black's health began to decline and she was unable to fly to Europe to get the treatment.

"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," Black's husband of 25 years, Stephen Eckelberry, announced on Facebook, Aceshowbiz.com reports. "Thank you all for all your prayers and love, they meant so much to her as they did to me." 

"She was an extraordinary human being in every area of her life," Black's representative told E! News. 

During Black's career, which spanned more than five decades, she earned two Golden Globe Awards (out of three nominations) and an Academy Award nomination, according to Aceshowbiz.com.

Black was best known for her role as Rayette, the big-dreaming waitress in the 1970 working class drama "Five Easy Pieces," in which she starred alongside Jack Nicholson. She also played a country singer in the ensemble cast of Robert Altman's 1975 musical drama "Nashville," Reuters reports.