Carlos Fuentes, one of Latin America's best-known authors and a critic of governments in Mexico and the United States, has died after a literary career spanning more than five decades. He was 83.

Fuentes wrote more than 20 novels and several collections of short stories. His best-known works include The Death of Artemio Cruz, The Old Gringo and The Crystal Frontier.

 The Old Gringo was the first US bestseller by a Mexican author and was made into a movie in 1989 starring Gregory Peck and Jane Fonda.

Local media on Tuesday said Fuentes died in a Mexico City hospital, although the cause of death was unclear.

Dividing his time chiefly between Mexico City and London, Fuentes dovetailed literature and social observation throughout his career.

Along with Colombia's Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Peru's Mario Vargas Llosa, Fuentes brought Latin American literature to a global audience in the second half of the 20th century. His work was translated into two dozen languages.