Jakarta  - Wahyu Sulaeman Rendra, a celebrated poet, social activist and the father of Indonesian theatre, died from heart and kidney problems at the age of 73, local news reports said Saturday.

WS Rendra, nicknamed "The Peacock" by the media, rose to prominence as a poet in the 1950s and remained one of the most influential artistic figures in the country until his death.

In 1968, he founded Bengkel Teater (Theatre Workshop), through which he did experimental works that shaped modern Indonesian theatre.

One of his influential plays, The Struggle of the Naga Tribe, is an exploration of social injustice.

Rendra was born to a Roman Catholic family but converted to Islam in 1970 on his second marriage to Sitoresmi Prabunigrat from the Yogyakarta palace.

Rendra was one of few people who had the courage to voice dissent during the rule of autocratic president Suharto.

His plays and poetry were critical of Suharto and his performances were often banned.

In 1979, soldiers threw ammonia bombs onto the stage where he was reading poetry and put him in solitary confinement in a military prison for nine months without charges.

"Indonesia has lost one of its most talented artists," Bramantyo Prijosusilo, a poet who studied at Rendra's Bengkel Teater, wrote in the Jakarta Globe newspaper.

"Rendra will be missed by creative communities all over Indonesia," he said.

Born on November 7, 1935, Rendra is survived by 11 children from three marriages and his last wife, Ken Zuraida. (dpa)