Former Union Home Minister and Congress leader Shivraj Patil died in Maharashtra’s Latur district on Friday morning, PTI reported. He was 90 years old.

Patil died at his home in Latur after a brief illness, the news agency quoted sources from his family as saying.

He is survived by his son Shailesh, daughter-in-law Archana, who is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and two granddaughters.

Patil had a political career spanning five decades.

Born in 1935 in Latur’s Chakur region, Patil graduated from Osmania University and studied law at Mumbai University. He started his career in the Latur Municipal Corporation in 1967.

Patil went on to be elected as an MLA from the Latur constituency in 1972 and served a second term in 1978. He was also elected seven consecutive times between 1980 and 1999 as an MP from Latur.

He held several positions in the Union government, including as the speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996.

Patil served as the Union home minister from 2004 to 2008. However, he resigned from position on November 30, 2008 after taking moral responsibility for the security lapses during the terror attack in Mumbai that took place days earlier.

Patil served as the governor of Punjab and administrator of Chandigarh from 2010 to 2015.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to Patil’s family and said that the Congress leader was passionate about contributing to the welfare of society.

“He was an experienced leader, having served as MLA, MP, Union Minister, Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha during his long years in public life,” Modi said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Patil’s death was an irreparable loss for the party.

“His dedication to public service and his contributions to the nation will always be remembered,” Gandhi said on social media. “In this hour of grief, my condolences are with the entire Patil family, their well-wishers, and supporters.”

Congress leader Nana Patole said that Patil’s passing was a “loss for Congress”, PTI reported. “He served in many capacities and was a strong personality,” Patole added.