Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova has died at the age of 61.
Officials say Mr. Rugova died on Saturday in Kosovo's capital, Pristina. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer last September.
Mr. Rugova, who became president of Kosovo in 2002, is considered the father of the Serbian province's ethnic Albanian independence movement. Kosovo remains part of Serbia, but has been administered by the United Nations since 1999.
Mr. Rugova spent the early part of his career as an professor and author. He entered politics in 1989, founding the Democratic League of Kosova, which remains the largest political party in Kosovo.
