Tom Hayden, a 1960s anti-war activist and one of the era's most prominent, counter-culture radicals who went on to serve in the California state assembly and senate, has died aged 76, according to media reports.



Hayden died in Santa Monica, California, after a lengthy illness, The Los Angeles Times reported on its web site.



Hayden forged his political activism while a student at the University of Michigan, where he was a founding member of the seminal 1960s activist group, Students for a Democratic Society.



He was one of several protesters arrested and charged with incitement and conspiracy during the Democratic national convention in Chicago in 1968. After years of trials, appeals, and retrials, he was acquitted of all charges.



Hayden, who was married to actress Jane Fonda from 1973 to 1990 and with whom he had two children, was elected to the California state assembly in 1982, and to the state senate 10 years later.



In later years his writings were published in national publications including The New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Denver Post. He served on the editorial board and was a columnist for The Nation magazine, and was the author of more than 20 books.