Former Thai P.M. Samak dies at 74

BANGKOK, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The former prime minister of Thailand, Samak Sundarevej, died at age 74 in Bangkok after a long battle with cancer, officials said.

Samak, whose career spanned four decades, was one of the country's most colorful politicians, the BBC reported Tuesday.

Samak will probably be most remembered for his short time as prime minister, although he held military and civilian posts in several governments and a term as the governor of Bangkok, the news agency reported.

In 2006, a coalition government was made up mostly of supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the fugitive former prime minister who was ousted in a coup in 2006. Samak, the new premier, was the fresh focus of anti-Thaksin sentiment, and thousands of protesters demanded his resignation.

Samak, however, stayed with it, until his appearance on a television cooking show, on which he had often appeared previously. He was forced to step down after nine months in office, as a court held that since Samak was paid for the appearance while serving as prime minister, he was guilty of a conflict of interest, the BBC said.