Civil rights activist, Darcus Howe dies at 74

Civil rights activist, Darcus Howe has died. Darcus, a writer and broadcaster who campaigned for black rights for more than 50 years and organised the 1981 Black People's March after the New cross fire in which 13 black teenagers died.

His biographer Robin Bunce said Mr Howe "died peacefully in his sleep" on Saturday at the age of 74.

In 2009, Mr Howe wrote in The Guardian about his prostate cancer diagnosis. "Long live the NHS", he wrote, after describing how his treatment had been successful following the 2007 diagnosis.

Mr Howe was born on 26 February 1943 in Trinidad, where his father was a vicar and his mother a teacher. He came to the UK in 1961. He started his journalism career with the magazine Race Today, where he was editor for 11 years.

As a journalist he contributed to a wide range of newspapers and had a regular column in the left-wing New Statesman magazine.