British-American writer Bonnie Greer dies aged 77

Playwright and author Bonnie Greer died aged 77, her husband David Hutchins said on Wednesday in a statement to British media.

A celebrated writer born in Chicago who at first plied her trade in New York , Greer spent most of her adult life in the UK .

She took up dual citizenship and became a regular and prominent political commentator in Britain.

Greer's widower Hutchins hailed her as "an acclaimed playwright, author, critic, cultural and political commentator whose intelligence, courage and distinctive voice made an enduring contribution to British cultural and public life."

Hutchins said his late wife had suffered succumbed to a brief illness.

He said those closest to Greer would remember her warmth, humor, generosity and extraordinary ability to bring people together.

"To me, she was my partner, confidante and inspiration, and I feel profoundly privileged to have shared my life with her," Hutchins said. The pair married in 1993, seven years after Greer emigrated.

Greer was born in Chicago in 1948, the eldest of seven children from a family of Mississippi sharecroppers.