Los Angeles  - US playwright William Gibson, who brought Helen Keller's story to the masses first on stage and later through the filming of The Miracle Worker, has died at age 94, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Family members said he had died on Tuesday in his home in the north-eastern state of Massachusetts.

In The Miracle Worker, produced for stage in 1959, Gibson brought to life the story of the blind and deaf Helen Keller and her stormy battle of wills with teacher Annie Sullivan.

The play won a Tony Award. The 1962 film version brought Oscars to actresses Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke for their portrayals of Sullivan (best actress) and Keller (best supporting actress.) (dpa)