Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s paramount Communist Party leader, passed away on Friday at the age of 80. He held this influential position for 13 years.

The Communist Party announced his death in the early afternoon, attributing it to “old age and serious illness,” but providing no further details about his ailment.

The party’s statement, citing information from Trong’s medical team, stated that he died “after a period of illness, despite being wholeheartedly treated by the Party, the State, a collective of professors, doctors, leading medical experts.”

Acting party general secretary, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, had assumed Trong’s duties on Thursday, following the party’s announcement that the aging leader needed to focus on his medical treatment.

The party will now determine whether Phuc will continue as acting party general secretary until the current term expires after the next Congress in 2026, or if they will elect a new candidate from within their ranks before then.

Although Vietnam officially lacks a supreme ruler, Trong was widely recognized as the most powerful figure in the country, holding the position of party general secretary since 2011.

He secured a third term in 2021 after a rule limiting party bosses to two terms was waived, showcasing his strength and significant political influence within the party that has been in power for nearly half a century.

In recent months, Trong appeared frail in public events and missed several high-level meetings.

Trong, educated in the Soviet Union, was known for his staunch communist ideology. In 2017, he launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, dubbed “blazing furnace,” which resembled China’s approach. This campaign resulted in the investigation of hundreds of officials for corruption, forcing many to resign, including cabinet ministers, a parliament chairman, and two state presidents.

Phuc, a former head of the powerful internal security agency, played a key role in this campaign and was elected president in May after his predecessor resigned amid allegations of unspecified wrongdoing.