ROUGH CUT.

NO REPORTER NARRATION.

Bob Hawke, a transformative and charismatic left-wing lawmaker with a "larrikin' streak who served as Australian prime minister from 1983 to 1991, died on Thursday (May 16) aged 89, his family said.

While others may have struggled to dismiss a reputation for boisterous, if well-meaning, behaviour, silver-haired Hawke said it helped him win favour with working-class voters.

Hawke's death comes ahead of a general election on Saturday (May 18), with his opposition Labor party narrowly ahead in the polls.

Hawke earned his reputation as a "larrikin," or loveable rogue, in part due to his world record for drinking a "yard", or 1.4 litres, of beer in 11 seconds while at Oxford University.

Voters embraced Hawke and Labor won an unlikely landslide against a conservative government led by Malcolm Fraser, who had been in power for nearly a decade.

Hawke became Australia's 23rd prime minister.