Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French far-right nationalist party formerly known as the National Front and a controversial force in the country's political life for decades, has died aged 96. President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday issued a terse acknowledgement of Le Pen's significant role in France's post-war society - but withheld any further assessment of his legacy.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's main far-right party, died on Tuesday at 96, but the anti-immigration and nationalist ideas that propelled his decades of popularity remain ascendant in the country,

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s far-right party, the National Front, has died at the age of 96, according to French network BFMTV.