Kim Yong Nam, the 97-year-old former nominal head of state of North Korea, died on Monday, bringing an end to the story of a staunch loyalist to all three generations of Pyongyang’s ruling Kim dynasty.

The former head of North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament died of multiple organ failure caused by “cancer poisoning,” the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported Tuesday.

Leader Kim Jong Un paid a condolence visit to his remains around 1 a.m. Pyongyang time and sent a wreath in his honor, reflecting the seniority of a man who served in top leadership roles for almost seven decades.

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