CANBERRA, Australia, March 19 (UPI) -- Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser died Friday, his office said. He was 84.
"It is with deep sadness that we inform you that after a brief illness John Malcolm Fraser died peacefully in the early hours of the morning of 20 March 2015," a statement from his office read. "We appreciate that this will be a shock to all who knew and loved him, but ask that the family be left in peace at this difficult time."
The nature of his illness wasn't reported.
Fraser was Australia's 22nd prime minister. He was named caretaker prime minister in 1975 during a moment of turmoil for the country. The government under former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was deadlocked over the budget and Whitlam was dismissed.
Fraser, then a member of the Liberal party, won election in 1975. He quit the party in 2010, criticizing its stance on issues like immigration.
