Labor icon Crystal Lee Sutton has died at age 68. Sutton's efforts to organize workers at Southern textile plants in the 1970s inspired the 1979 film "Norma Rae"; Sally Field won an Oscar for her portrayal of the character based on Sutton. Sutton's battle with the cancer that took her life also placed her within the current debate over heath care reform, as she was unable to receive potentially life saving drugs for months because her insurance company wouldn't cover them.
See "Inspiration for movie 'Norma Rae' dies at 68", Emery P. Dalesio, September 16, 2009