The legendary jazz and blues singer Nina Simone has died at her home in France, aged 70.
A native of North Carolina, Simone had been ill for some time.
A classically trained pianist, she was best known for hits such as 'My Baby Just Cares For Me' and 'I Loves You, Porgy', from the opera 'Porgy and Bess'.
Simone was also a passionate supporter of civil rights in America.
She wrote the civil rights anthem 'Mississippi Goddam' in 1963 after four black children were killed in the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama.
Simone was twice married and divorced, and had one daughter.
