Founder of ethical cosmetics firm Body Shop, Dame Anita Roddick, has died at the age of 64.
Her family said in a statement she suffered "a major brain haemorrhage" at 1830 BST at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex.
Her husband, Gordon, and daughters Sam and Justine were all with her.
Dame Anita set up the first Body Shop in Brighton in 1976. She pioneered cruelty-free beauty products and turned them into a highly profitable business.
In February she announced she had contracted Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion in 1971.
She had been taken to hospital on Sunday evening after she collapsed complaining of a headache.
'Force for good'
Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to Dame Anita, calling her "one of the country's true pioneers" and an "inspiration" to businesswomen.
He said: "She campaigned for green issues for many years before it became fashionable to do so and inspired millions to the cause by bringing sustainable products to a mass market.
"She will be remembered not only as a great campaigner but also as a great entrepreneur." The Body Shop became part of the French company L'Oreal Group in July 2006 but is run independently.
The daughter of Italian immigrants, Dame Anita became one of Britain's most successful businesswomen.
She was the first to introduce socially and environmentally responsible business onto the High Street and she was talking about fair trade long before it became a buzz word.
Body Shop - with its ethically-sourced products - was one of the icons of the High Street in the 1980s.
Its fortunes had been hit in recent years as rivals started making similar products, but the retailer fought back and has more than 2,100 stores in 55 countries.
The family's statement said: "Gordon, Justine and Sam Roddick are very sad to announce that, after suffering a major brain haemorrhage, Anita Roddick died at 6.30pm this evening at the age of 64.
"Anita Roddick was admitted to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, close to her home, yesterday evening when she collapsed after complaining of a sudden headache.
"Mrs Roddick was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit and her husband Gordon and two daughters, Sam and Justine, were with her when she died."
'Own mortality'
Dame Anita revealed she was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver after contracting Hepatitis C from blood given during the birth of her youngest daughter, Sam.
She said she had unknowingly lived with "this silent killer" for three decades and only found out about it two years ago after a blood test. "What I can say is that having Hep C means that I live with a sharp sense of my own mortality, which in many ways makes life more vivid and immediate," Dame Anita said.
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