Former French President Jacques Chirac has died at the age of 86, the AFP news agency reported.
Claude Jacques Chirac's husband, Sala Barro, said: "The president died Thursday morning between his family in peace."
After receiving the news, the French National Assembly stood a minute's silence.
Chirac was elected to the presidency of the French Republic in 1995 and renewed in 2002.He also served twice as Prime Minister of France from 27 May to 26 August 1976 and from 20 March 1986 to 10 May 1988.
Chirac is one of France's most popular politicians.
The conservative president has been known around the world for his staunch opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Domestically, the most prominent legacy was his recognition, for the first time, of the French state's role in arresting Jews and taking them to Nazi death camps.
Chirac has disappeared from public life in recent years and is reported to be suffering from severe health conditions.