American jazz legend Chick Corea has died from cancer, aged 79.

The Grammy Award-winning musician died on Tuesday from a rare form of the disease that was only recently diagnosed.

Corea is the fourth most nominated artist in Grammys history - on 65 occasions and with 23 awards.

The Recording Academy, which hosts the Grammys, paid tribute to “undisputedly one of the most incredible jazz innovators of all time”.

Corea left a message for fans, saying: “My mission has always been to bring the joy of creating anywhere I could, and to have done so with all the artists that I admire so dearly - this has been the richness of my life.”

The musician’s career spanned more than 50 years and he played with Miles Davis in the late 1960s - including on his acclaimed jazz-rock double album Bitches Brew. His own group, Return to Forever, were at the forefront of the jazz fusion movement.