Those close to Liu saw him as hero

Tributes are flowing in from around the world for Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Honouring Liu Xiaobo in Oslo, where he received Nobel Peace Prize Source: AAP

To those who knew him best, he was simply a living legend.

The renowned writer and dissident fought for decades for greater human rights and democracy in China.

Imprisoned eight years ago, he was revealed to be terminally ill with liver cancer just weeks ago.

He died from multiple organ failure last night in custody at a hospital in north-eastern China.