Jean Marie Le-Pen has died at the age of 96.
A former paratrooper who fought in multiple conflicts, Le-Pen led France’s National Front from 1972 to 2011 and contested dozens of local and national elections.
In 2002, he made the run-off in France’s presidential election but was ultimately defeated handily by former president Jacques Chiraq.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Le Pen family said that he had been in a care facility for several weeks and passed away “surrounded by his loved ones.”
Le Pen’s daughter, Marine, took over from her father as party leader in 2011, cementing the family name in French political life.
Under her leadership, Marine rebranded the party as the National Rally and moderated its more extremist tendencies, turning it into one of the country’s most powerful political forces.
The National Rally paid tribute to their former leader on X, describing him as a “visionary” who had helped define France’s political landscape.
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