Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze dies at 86

The former Georgian president, Eduard Shevardnadze, died at age 86.

Shevardnadze died on Monday, 10 years after he left office. His spokesman said that he died after a long illness.

He was born on January 25, 1928 in the village of Mamati near the Georgian Black Sea coast. He became involved in politics at age 20 and joined the Communist Party. He was named the Community Party chief in Georgia in 1972.

Shevardnadze became the Soviet Union’s foreign minister in 1985. He played an important role during Mikhail Gorbachev’s time in office. He worked with Gorbachev’s administration to bring about change in the Soviet Union, particularly when dealing with glasnost and perestroika.

"He made a large contribution to the foreign affairs policy of perestroika, and he was a true supporter of new thinking in global affairs," Gorbachev told Interfax Monday, according to the Associated Press.

Shevardnadze resigned in December 1990, according to The Guardian. He was later elected president of Georgia for a five-year period, beginning in 1995. He survived two assassination attempts.

Shevardnadze had a daughter and a son. Shevardnadze's wife, Nanuli, died in 2004.