Iconic Scottish actor Sean Connery, who has died at the age of 90, suffered from dementia in his final years, his widow Micheline Roquebrune revealed on Sunday.

Connery, famous for playing the original on-screen James Bond, passed away at his home in the Bahamas, prompting an outpouring of tributes.

He died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family members, his widow Micheline Roquebrune told the Mail on Sunday.

"I was with him all the time and he just slipped away," the 91-year-old told the newspaper.

"He had dementia and it took its toll on him. He got his final wish to slip away without any fuss.

"It was no life for him. He was not able to express himself latterly."

Connery will be honored in a private funeral ceremony, with a memorial event to be held later, according to a publicist. 

The actor, who was knighted in 2000, won numerous awards during his decades-spanning career encompassing an array of big-screen hits, including an Oscar, three Golden Globes and two Bafta awards.

But it was his smooth, Scottish-accented portrayal of the suave licensed-to-kill spy 007 that earned him lasting worldwide fame and adoration.

The first actor to utter the unforgettable "Bond, James Bond," Connery made six official films as novelist Ian Fleming's creation, giving what many still consider to be the definitive portrayal.

Former 007 actor Pierce Brosnan joined the flood of weekend tributes to the Scottish actor, who he said "led the way for us all who followed in your iconic footsteps."

"You were my greatest James Bond as a boy, and as a man who became James Bond himself, you cast a long shadow of cinematic splendor that will live on forever," Brosnan added.

Connery, born in Edinburgh in 1930, married French artist Roquebrune in 1974, a year after he divorced first wife Diane Cilento.

The couple first met in Morocco in 1970. They had lived outside his native Britain for decades, previously owning a home in the Spanish resort of Marbella and then in the Bahamas.

"He was gorgeous and we had a wonderful life together," the Tunisian-born widow told media.

"He was a model of a man. It is going to be very hard without him, I know that. But it could not last forever and he went peacefully."