TMZ, which was first to report his death, said the artist died in Pennsylvania due to complications from cancer on Thursday.

Bambaataa was born to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrant parents.

As a teen, he became a member of the Black Spades gang, parlaying his leadership abilities to form the Universal Zulu Nation, that sought to channel youth culture away from violence and towards creativity.

His 1982 hit Planet Rock, won him global recognition and is credited with shaping hip-hop in the 1980s.

His vision for hip-hop transformed the Bronx borough into "the birthplace of a culture that now reaches every corner of the world", said Reverend Dr Kurtis Blow Walker, the executive director of Hip Hop Alliance.

Throughout the 1980s and beyond, he continued to collaborate widely, working with musicians including James Brown and John Lydon, and contributing to politically conscious projects such as the anti-apartheid song Sun City in 1985.