Harry Belafonte, the singer and actor who became a civil rights activist, has died at 96.

The Grammy, Emmy and Tony winning star died of congestive heart failure at his New York home on Tuesday, with his wife by his side, according to a spokesperson.

Largely responsible for bringing Calypso music to an international audience in the 1950s, he was one of the first black performers to gain a wide following on film and to sell a million records as a singer.