Actor Bill McKinney, who appeared in the 1972 film Deliverance, lost his battle with cancer on Thursday, his family confirmed via Facebook.

McKinnely was 80.

Today our dear Bill McKinney passed away at Valley Presbyterian Hospice, the wrote. An avid smoker for 25 years of his younger life, he died of cancer of the esophagus. He was 80 and still strong enough to have filmed a Dorito's commercial 2 weeks prior to his passing, and he continued to work on his biography with his writing partner. Hopefully 2012 will bring a publisher for the wild ride his life was.

McKinney played the sadistic mountain man in the John Boorman film Deliverance where he was known for the famous line, I bet you can squeal like a pig, before raping Ned Beatty's character.

He also starred in several Clint Eastwood films. Those films included Thunderbolt and Lightfoot to name a few. Other films that McKinney appeared in were First Blood, Against All Odds, Back to the Future Part III and The Green Mile.

McKinney was also seen on TV shows such as The Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie, Colombo, Starsky and Hutch, Hunter, Murder She Wrote, Walker, Texas Ranger and Baywatch.

The actor is survived by son Clinton, along with several ex-wives, the family stated.

McKinney was working on co-writing his autobiography until passing, his Facebook page stated.

Hopefully 2012 will bring a publisher for the wild ride his life was, the page noted.

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