BEIRUT - Veteran Lebanese politician, diplomat, and press baron Ghassan Tueni died in hospital early on Friday aged 86, his newspaper An-Nahar announced.
Known for his sharp intellect, elegance and wit, Tueni became a deputy at the tender age of 25 and subsequently served in several cabinets.
He was Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations between 1977 and 1982, at the height of the country's civil war.
Tueni's life was marked by a series of personal tragedies.
His first wife Nadia Hamade, a famous Lebanese poet, died of cancer, as did his seven-year-old daughter Nayla. His son Makram died in a car accident.
In December 2005, his other son Gebran Tueni, also a lawmaker and journalist, was assassinated at a time when several anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians and journalists were targeted following the killing of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
Born in Beirut to an Orthodox Christian family, Tueni headed the Arabic-language An-Nahar newspaper, which was founded by his father in 1933.
He is survived by his second wife Shadia al-Khazen.
