Blues musician BB King has died, aged 89, Digital Spy reports.

The singer's lawyer said that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday (May 14) evening at his home in Las Vegas.

King started out as a farmhand and kicked off a career in music by the 1940s. He was also inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He sold millions of records worldwide and is known for hits including 'Lucille', 'Sweet Black Angel' and 'Rock Me Baby'.

In 2009, King won his 15th Grammy award for One Kind Favour and was still performing at least 100 concerts a year until recently.

The Mississippi-born star began receiving home hospice care earlier this month, following a brief stay in hospital.

King was also admitted to hospital at the beginning of April after suffering from dehydration, thought to have been brought on by his Type 2 diabetes, which he had for 20 years.

The musician previously had to cancel eight tour dates in 2014 when he was taken ill during a performance.

King said in the past that he would always carry on performing into old age, and that he would only retire when he's "called from above".

King was first bluesman to tour the Soviet Union in 1979. He performed concerts in Moscow, Saint Perersburg, Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi. The tour was arranged under U.S.-USSR Exchanges Agreement.