Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh passed away on Thursday morning.

The senior Congress leader breathed his last at a hospital in Shimla in the early hours of Thursday after a prolonged illness.

Singh was 87 and leaves behind his wife and a son besides a host of relatives.

The veteran leader died at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) at 3.40 am, senior medical superintendent of the hospital Dr. Janak Raj said.

He suffered from a heart attack on Monday and was critical. He was undergoing treatment in the critical care unit of IGMC.

Singh was put on a ventilator under the supervision of the doctors of the cardiology department on Wednesday after he had a breathing problem, he added.

The nine-time MLA and five-time MP, Singh served as Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister for six times.

The veteran politician tested positive for COVID-19 on June 11 for the second time in two months.

He had earlier tested positive for the disease on April 12.

Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh are also politicians.