Gazprom's Rem Vyakhirev Dies, Aged 78

Rem Vyakhirev, former head of Gazprom

Rem Vyakhirev, the former chief of Russia's Gazprom natural gas producer, has died.

He was 78.

A Gazprom spokesman said Vyakhirev died on February 11 but gave no details.

Vyakhirev, who was once nicknamed the Russian "Gas King," became Gazprom chairman in 1992.

He had previously served as first deputy minister for the Soviet gas industry and then deputy head of Gazprom.

He left the company in 2001, but remained on its board for a year afterwards.

During his decade at the helm of Gazprom, he accumulated enough wealth to be ranked among Russia's oligarchs.

Gazprom is the world's largest gas producer.

Based on reporting by RIAN, Interfax, and Reuters