AKIPRESS.COM - Actor Sir Roger Moore, best known for playing James Bond, has died aged 89, his family has announced, BBC reported.

He played the famous spy in seven Bond films including Live and Let Die and A View to a Kill.

Sir Roger's family confirmed the news on Twitter, saying he had died after "a short but brave battle with cancer".

The statement, from his children, read: "Thank you Pops for being you, and being so very special to so many people."

"With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated," they said in a Twitter post.

The actor took the character of James Bond in a more humorous direction than his predecessor Sean Connery.