Richard Hamilton, the original pop artist, has died aged 89.
Hailed as the most influential British artist of the 20th century, Hamilton had been working until a few days ago on a major museum retrospective, which was due to travel to Los Angeles, Philadelphia, London and Madrid.
The London-born artist fell ill over the past couple of days and died this morning.
He was best known for his 1956 collage featuring a body builder and a tin of ham, which earned him the title "Father of Pop".
The Gagosian Gallery, which announced his death, said the art world had "lost one of its leading figures".
It added: "Hamilton's fascination with the authenticity of the image in contemporary society, and the implication this has in political and moral terms, has held him at the vanguard of modern art.
"His influence on subsequent generations of artists continues to be immeasurable."