Kevin Mitnick, a retired hacker who became one of the FBI's "most wanted" cyber criminals, died on Sunday at the age of 59 after a 14-month long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Mitnick spent five years in prison for computer fraud and wire fraud following a two-year federal manhunt in the 1990s.

But after his release in 2000, he reinvented himself, becoming a renowned hacker, cybersecurity consultant and author.

"Kevin was an original; much of his life reads like a fictional story," reads his obituary, quoted by the BBC.

"He grew up bright and restless in California's San Fernando Valley, an only child with a penchant for mischief, a defiant attitude towards authority and a love of magic."

In the 1990s, Mitnick gained notoriety by hacking into US government websites and company networks, including Pacific Bell, and stole corporate data and credit card information.

He was involved in the theft of thousands of credit card numbers and data files across the country, as well as hacking into the country's cell phone networks, vandalizing the computer systems of companies, governments and universities.