British poet Benjamin Zephaniah dies at 65: family

File photo of acclaimed British poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who was in town for the KL Literary Festival in 2012. Zephaniah died on Thursday at the age of 65. — Filepic/THE STAR

British poet Benjamin zephaniah, who famously rejected an honour from Queen Elizabeth II over Britain's empire and links to slavery, died on Thursday at the age of 65, his family said.

The poet and writer, whose work was greatly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica, also turned his hand to acting when he appeared in series six of the hit show Peaky Blinders as the character Jeremiah Jesus.