Former Irish prime minister John Bruton, a conservative who helped legalise divorce in traditionally Catholic Ireland, has died aged 76 after a long illness, his family said on Tuesday.
Bruton, who served as Taoiseach (prime minister) in a coalition government between 1994 and 1997, died in a Dublin hospital on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family, they said in a statement.
Bruton served two terms as Ireland's minister for finance during the 1980s and as minister for industry and energy and minister for trade.
Between 2004 and 2009 he served as EU ambassador to the United States.
Bruton was widely credited with playing an important part in Northern Ireland's peace process in the years leading to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended three decades of sectarian conflict.
During his tenure as premier he also steered through a referendum that paved the way for the legalisation of divorce in a country where the Catholic Church maintained a strong grip.
Former prime minister Bertie Ahern said Bruton was "one of the decent people".
"My view of John is that he was a gentleman," Ahern told Irish broadcaster RTE.
"He was a totally genuine person and always acted in the interests of the people of the country, of the people of need and I wouldn't have a bad word to say about John Bruton."