The acclaimed actor and playwright Sam Shepard has died aged 73.

In an illustrious career that lasted over a half a century, Shepard wrote over 44 plays that appeared on Broadway and elsewhere. His best-known works include 'True West', about a pair of squabbling brothers vying for an American landscape that no longer exists and 'Buried Child', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979.

Shepard also penned several books, including short stories, essays, and memoirs and was an accomplished actor in his own right, appearing in over 50 films. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Chuck Yeager - the first pilot to break the sound barrier - in the 1983 film The Right Stuff. More recently, the veteran performer appeared in The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford and Midnight Special.

He is survived by his three children.