Updated 7.35pm - Added Alfred Sant comments
Surgeon and former Labour Party MP Anthony Zammit has died aged 67.
Prof. Zammit, a PL MP between 2008 and 2013, spent decades working within the surgical field and teaching medical students at the University of Malta. He was the surgeon who operated on then-PL leader Alfred Sant in late 2007.
Dr Sant said news of Prof. Zammit's passing filled him with sadness.
"He was a genuine friend," he said. "Without his skill, gentleness and attention I would not have survived."
Dr Sant said that when he visited him some weeks ago he found his friend "solid, resigned and as lucid as ever."
"When my time comes, I hope to have his courage," he said.
In a statement offering condolences, the Labour Party highlighted his illustrious medical history and noted that he was also a patron of local culture and historical heritage.
The Nationalist Party also offered its condolences to Prof. Zammit's family, as did parliamentary Speaker Anġlu Farrugia.