NORTH-East born pop artist Gerald Laing, whose famous images included works depicting actress Brigitte Bardot and more recently singer Amy Winehouse, has died at the age of 75.

He mixed with great names such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein after moving to New York from the UK in the 1960s.

Laing died today, his family said, after what is understood to have been a battle with cancer.

His work features in the collections of The National Gallery, The Tate and The Victoria & Albert Museum in London, as well as The Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum in New York, and in private hands of stars such as Jerry Hall and Kate Moss.

Laing's sculptures include A Memorial To Sir Arthur in Edinburgh and two rugby-themed works at Twickenham Stadium in south west London. He also received portrait commissions from figures such as Paul Getty and Luciano Pavarotti.

Laing, who was born in Newcastle, trained at Sandhurst and joined the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, the same regiment as his father.

After the Army, he took art lessons and went on to study at St Martins College Of Art in London.

His work in the early 60s included images of bikini-clad glamour girls, dragsters and skydivers. He also created the picture of French actress Bardot with a circle across her face.

He moved to New York in 1964 where he was quickly accepted as part of the US art scene, but he returned to the UK towards the end of the decade.

Laing - who had homes at Kinkell Castle on the Black Isle, Ross-shire and in London - produced a series of works in recent years as a response to the war in Iraq and the 7/7 bombings.

His work was in the spotlight again when he returned to his early Pop Art style to create a number of artworks depicting Winehouse - who died this summer - and her former husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. The series also included images of Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss.

The artist, who was married three times and was father to six children, continued to work up until his death.