Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian has died at a Detroit-area hospital at the age of 83, his lawyer and friend said.

Mayer Morganroth said Mr Kevorkian died yesterday morning at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan.

He said nurses played classical music by Mr Kevorkian’s favourite composer, Johan Sebastian Bach, before he died.

Mr Kevorkian had been hospitalised since last month with pneumonia and kidney problems.

Mr Morganroth said Mr Kevorkian was conscious last night and the two spoke about leaving the hospital and getting ready for rehabilitation.

Mr Kevorkian was released from a Michigan prison in 2007 after serving eight years for second-degree murder. He claims to have assisted in at least 130 suicides.

In 2008, Mr Kevorkian ran for Congress as an independent, receiving just 2.7 per cent of the vote in the suburban Detroit district. He said his experience showed the party system was “corrupt” and “has to be completely overhauled from the bottom up”.

His life story became the subject of the 2010 HBO movie You Don’t Know Jack, which earned actor Al Pacino, Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for his portrayal of Mr Kevorkian.