Former Russian president BORIS YELTSIN has died. He was 76.

Yeltsin died of heart failure today (23Apr07) in Moscow's Central Clinical Center, according to Russian news agencies.

In 1991 he became Russia's first democratically elected president - after winning international acclaim when he mounted a tank in Moscow, rallying the people to overthrow

the then-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's reign.

Yeltsin had a quintuple heart bypass operation following his re-election in 1996.

He announced his retirement on the last day of the 20th Century, before handing over to secret service chief Vladimir Putin.

His predecessor Gorbachev has paid tribute to Yeltin, saying, "(I send my) very deepest condolences to the family of the deceased on whose shoulders rest major events for the good of the country and serious mistakes."

Yeltsin is survived by his wife of 50 years Naina and two daughters Tatyana and Yelena.