British Bible teacher and author David Pawson has died at the age of 90 after battling a number of health conditions.

In recent years he'd suffered with bone cancer and a mild form of Parkinson's disease and was receiving care at a nursing home.

Friends say he passed peacefully, without pain, on Thursday morning.

Tributes have been shared across social media by those who've benefited from his ministry.

Pawson studied theology at Cambridge University before joining the RAF as a chaplain. He served as a Methodist minister before leading several Baptist churches.

During his career, he authored 81 books and produced over 300 teaching videos. He was also a sought after preacher across the world.

Pawson was known for his forthright teaching, often tackling controversial subjects such as hell, salvation, Israel and male headship.

Steve Dally worked alongside him over the past decade. Speaking to Premier he explained why his message was so well received.

"He wasn't afraid of tackling the controversial topics," he said. "And more than anything, he said, not to believe anything that he taught, unless you could read it for yourself in the Bible. All he wanted people to do was to read the Bible for themselves."

In recent years, as public appearances became fewer, Pawson worked on making his teachings accessible online.

Dally told Premier it was a big job but Pawson knew it was important.

"When I started working with him 11 years ago, I said, 'what's your vision?' He said, 'I want you to make my teachings available to as many as possible, in their local languages, at the lowest possible cost - free if you can. He believed that God had given him the knowledge freely and he just wanted to distribute it to everybody else."

Due to the current pandemic, a small funeral is expected to take place in the coming weeks, but the ministry is keen for a public memorial to take place when social distancing is no longer necessary. Details will be announced at a later date.