Jean-Marie Le Pen, co-founder of the French far-right National Front party, has died at the age of 96.
His death was confirmed to the Associated Press by Sébastien Chenu, a senior party official, on Tuesday.
A polarizing figure in French politics, Mr Le Pen was known for his fiery rhetoric against immigration and multiculturalism, which won him both fervent supporters and widespread condemnation.
His controversial statements, including Holocaust denial, have led to multiple condemnations and strained his political alliances.
Mr. Le Pen, who reached the second round of the 2002 presidential election, eventually became estranged from his daughter, Marine Le Pen. In 2011, she renamed the party to shed its “demonized” image and increase its electoral appeal, resulting in her own presidential successes. It is now called the National Rally.
Despite his exclusion from the party in 2015, Mr. Le Pen’s divisive legacy endures, marking decades of French political history and shaping the trajectory of the far right.
