French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has passed away at the age of 96.
As per BBC, the news of his passing was confirmed on Tuesday, January 7, by a statement from his family shared with the AFP news agency.
He had been living in a care facility for several weeks before he died at noon on Tuesday. His family said he passed away while surrounded by his loved ones.
Le Pen, who is known for denying the Holocaust and holding extreme views on issues such as race, gender and immigration founded the far-right National Front party in France in 1972.
He was widely recognized as one of the most controversial political figures in France for many years.
Le Pen critics accused him of being a far-right bigot, and was repeatedly convicted by the courts for making extreme and offensive remarks.
In 2011, his daughter, Marine Le Pen became the leader of the National Front Party and after that, she renamed the party to National Rally and transformed it into one of the most influential political groups in France.
Reactions from some political figures:
Jordan Badella, chairman of the far-right National Rally expressed his condolences on his death, "Jean-Marie Le Pen is dead. Enlisted in the uniform of the French army in Indochina and Algeria, orator in the National Assembly and the European Parliament, he always served France, defended its identity and its sovereignty. Today my thoughts are with his family, his loved ones, and of course of (his daughter) Marine whose mourning must be respected."
Meanwhile, Eric Zemmour, former far-right presidential candidate said, "Beyond the controversies, beyond the scandals, what we will remember about him in the coming decades is that he was among the first to alert France to the existential threats that awaited it. His legacy will be his vision and his courage, at a time when courageous men were not so numerous."
