DILI, Timor-Leste — Former Timor-Leste president and independence leader Francisco Guterres ‘Lu-Olo’ has died in a hospital in Malaysia, prompting tributes from across the country for a man regarded as one of the architects of the nation's liberation and statehood.

Lu-Olo, 71, died on Sunday after receiving treatment in Malaysia, according to a statement from President José Ramos-Horta.

Ramos-Horta described the former president's passing as "a great loss to the Nation".

"I received the information with extreme sadness and consider the passing of President Francisco Guterres Lu'Olo a great loss to the Nation," he said.

The president revealed that he had visited Lu-Olo in intensive care during a trip to Malaysia between June 13 and 16 and had been briefed by doctors on the severity of his condition. Out of respect for the family's privacy, he said, details of the illness were not disclosed publicly.

"President Francisco Guterres Lu'Olo was a great patriot, one of the central leaders of the liberation struggle, leader of the historic FRETILIN party, having served all the high functions of the State," Ramos-Horta said.

The presidency said it was coordinating with Lu-Olo's family, Timor-Leste's embassy in Malaysia and state institutions to return his body to Dili. Ramos-Horta said full state honours would be accorded to the former head of state.

Born in Ossu, Viqueque municipality, on September 7, 1954, Lu-Olo emerged as a leading figure in the resistance against Indonesian occupation. A former guerrilla fighter, he became a senior leader of FRETILIN and later played a central role in guiding the country through its transition to independence.

Following the restoration of independence in 2002, he served as the first president of the National Parliament after previously leading the Constituent Assembly that drafted the country's founding institutions.

After unsuccessful presidential bids in 2007 and 2012, Lu-Olo was elected president in 2017 and served until 2022. During his five-year term, he remained a prominent figure in national politics and one of the most recognisable faces of the independence generation.

Tributes from political leaders, veterans and supporters began flowing shortly after news of his death emerged, with many remembering his role in the resistance and his decades of service to the state.

For many Timorese, Lu-Olo belonged to the generation that led the struggle for independence and later helped build the institutions of the new republic. Alongside figures such as Xanana Gusmão, Mari Alkatiri and José Ramos-Horta, he helped shape the political trajectory of the nation.

His death marks the passing of one of Timor-Leste's most influential post-independence leaders, leaving behind a legacy intertwined with both the fight for self-determination and the challenges of nation-building.