Former Czech president and hero of the Velvet Revolution Vaclav Havel, who steered his country peacefully to independence from Soviet rule in 1989, died yesterday at the age of 75.

The one-time dissident died in his sleep at dawn in his weekend house in the village of Hradecek, northeast of Prague, after a lengthy illness, his secretary Sabina Tancevova said.

Tributes poured in from across Europe and America for the statesman and playwright who was hailed as a “great European” and the “soul of the Czech revolution” that peacefully toppled communism in his country.

People held vigils in Prague’s central Wenceslas Square, the focal point of anti-communist rallies in 1989, and at Prague Castle, the seat of Czech presidents.

The poor health of Mr Havel, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 and of the successor Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003, was partly caused by the five years he spent in communist jails.

A one-time chain smoker, Mr Havel had grappled with respiratory problems since he had part of his lung removed in 1996 to stop cancer.

“In his last moments, his wife Dagmar was with him, together with one of the nuns who have been taking care of him in recent months,” Ms Tancevova said.

Current President Vaclav Klaus said Mr Havel had become a symbol of the modern Czech state.

“His personality, name and work substantially helped the Czech Republic swiftly become a part of the community of free and democratic countries,” he added.

Under Mr Havel’s presidency, the Czech Republic joined Nato in 1999 and later became a member of the EU in 2004. Mr Klaus said he had asked Prime Minister Petr Necas and the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament to meet at Prague Castle yesterday to “prepare further necessary steps together”.

The centre-right Cabinet said it would hold an extraordinary session today to decide on national mourning for Mr Havel.

Mr Havel was born in Prague on October 5, 1936, into a wealthy family which lost its assets as the communists took power in 1948. He established himself as a leading figure on the scene of the Czechoslovak theatre of the absurd in the 1960s, before being banned from theatres after the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

He was responsible for drawing up Charter 77, a 1977 manifesto challenging the communists to live up to their international promises to respect human rights, and he kept fighting the regime, which earned him five years in prison.

As communism was toppled in the peaceful Velvet Revolution, Mr Havel was the first choice for the top job in Czechoslovakia, which then split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.

Mr Havel’s health woes stemmed from a poorly-treated case of pneumonia he suffered while he was jailed by the communist regime in the 1980s for dissident activity.

Earlier this year, Mr Havel was taken to hospital with acute bronchitis, from which he was never able to fully recover.

The illness also caused “a loss of balance, memory loss and weight loss,” Mr Havel said in an interview.

Havel ’s daily trip to Balzan bar

Vaclav Havel was in Malta in 2002 and was hosted at San Anton Palace by the late Guido de Marco who at the time was President.

In the Progress Press publication At Home With The President, Prof. de Marco recalled how Mr Havel had discovered Żmerċ pub, just down the road from the palace.

Upon entering, he was told that the place was full but a table was quickly made available once someone told the owner who he was. After that, Mr Havel made a daily trip to Żmerċ where he would enjoy a glass of local beer.

The Labour Party expressed sorrow at his death and expressed its solidarity with the Czech people.