Adrian Mitchell

London - Poet Adrian Mitchell, whose passionate works about nuclear war, Vietnam and racism were often sung at left-wing rallies, has died at 76. Publisher Bloodaxe Books said on its Web site that Mitchell died in his sleep early Saturday of a suspected heart attack after suffering from pneumonia for two months. One of his best known poems, "Human Beings," was voted the poem people would most like to see launched into space in a 2005 poll by the writing charity The Poetry Society. Mitchell was also a successful playwright, novelist and children's writer. He had just completed a new anthology, "Tell Me Lies: Poems 2005-2008," and a collection of work for children called "Umpteen Poems." Mitchell was born in London in 1932 and worked as a journalist from 1955 to 1966 before becoming a full-time writer.