KEMEROVO, November 20. /TASS/. Aman Tuleyev, former governor of Russia’s Kemerovo Region, has died at the age of 79, the region’s current Governor Sergey Tsivilyov said.

"Aman Tuleyev, who served as Kemerovo Region governor from 1997-2018, has passed away. A brilliant and remarkable personality, he dedicated his whole life to Kuzbass and Russia. His death is a terrible loss," Tsivilyov wrote on the VKontakte social media network.

Tuleyev headed the Kemerovo Region for almost 21 years. Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted his resignation on April 1, 2018. On September 17, 2018, Tuleyev became the chairman of the Kuzbass Regional Institute of Professional Education Development.