China’s former Premier Li Keqiang, who gained a reputation as a reformer but later found himself sidelined by President Xi Jinping, died of a heart attack just months after stepping down as the nation’s No. 2 official. He was 68.
Li passed away in the early hours of Friday in Shanghai after all rescue efforts failed, according to a statement posted on the government’s website. His death sparked a huge outpouring of grief on Friday on China’s tightly controlled internet, with most comments expressing shock and sadness over his passing.