Steeleye Span founder Tim Hart, who was born in Lincoln, has died of lung cancer, his daughter said.

Folk musician Hart, 61, died in La Gomera in Spain's Canary Islands where he had lived since retiring from the music scene, Sally Hart said.

He returned to La Gomera three weeks ago after spending a year in Britain receiving treatment.

"In the last few days he became very weak, and had chest pains. His body had suffered greatly from the cancer treatment," she said.

Hart was a star of the 1960s folk scene in Britain, first gaining fame in a musical partnership with singer Maddy Prior in 1966.

The duo recorded two albums of "Folk Songs of Olde England", with the versatile Hart backing their singing on guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, banjo and violin.

In 1971, Hart and Prior joined with Ashley Hutchings, who had left Fairport Convention, to form a new band.

The new project, at Hart's suggestion, was named Steeleye Span after a character in a Lincolnshire folk song, Horkstow Grange.

Steeleye Span went on to have chart hits with Gaudete and All Around My Hat.

Hart left Steeleye Span in 1983, but appeared at a charity concert with the group in 1995.