Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang died Friday at age 61 after a prolonged and serious illness, state media reported.

He passed away from a “serious illness despite devoted treatment by professors and doctors” both in Vietnam and abroad.

In office as president since April 2016 after more than four decades at the powerful Ministry of Public Security, Quang had a reputation as a tough leader with little tolerance for dissent.

Though he held one of the country’s top four positions and was officially the head of state, his role as president was seen as largely ceremonial, greeting visiting leaders and hosting diplomatic events in a bid to boost Vietnam’s profile on the world stage.