B.B. King has died in Las Vegas aged 89, his lawyer Brent Bryson announces.

Attorney Brent Bryson told The Associated Press that B.B. King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT on May 14 at his home in Las Vegas.

The one-time farmhand brought new fans to the blues and influenced a generation of musicians with his heartfelt vocals and soaring guitar.

Born in Mississippi, B.B. King began performing in the 1940s and was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The blues legend was recently taken to hospital with a diabetes-related illness.

Rolling Stone magazine once ranked B.B. King in third place in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, just below Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman.

B.B. King, who sold millions of records worldwide, was awarded his 15th Grammy award in 2009 for his album One Kind Favor.

Even until recently, B.B. King performed in at least 100 concerts a year.