British writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah has died aged 65.
The pioneering writer passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning, eight weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
"It is with great sadness and regret that we announce the death of our beloved Husband, Son, and Brother in the early hours of this morning," his family wrote on his social media pages.
"Benjamin's wife was by his side throughout and was with him when he passed. We shared him with the world and we know many will be shocked and saddened by this news. Benjamin was a true pioneer and innovator, he gave the world so much.
"Through an amazing career, including a huge body of poems, literature, music, television, radio, Benjamin leaves us with a joyful and fantastic legacy. Thank you for the love you have shown Professor Benjamin Zephaniah."
Born in Birmingham to Barbadian and Jamaican parents, Zephaniah often dealt with themes of social injustice and racism in his literary works, which included poems, plays, novels and children's books.
He publicly rejected the honour of an OBE in 2003, explaining that he was "profoundly anti-empire".
The outspoken political activist and dub poet also appeared in several films and TV projects. On screen, he was perhaps best known for playing Jeremiah Jesus in the TV series Peaky Blinders, starring Cillian Murphy.
Zephaniah was also a musician; he released his debut album, Rasta, in 1982 and his final record, Revolutionary Minds, in 2017.
