One of Iran’s most senior clerics, considered to be a major pillar of the Islamic revolution 31 years ago, passed away last night.

Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali-Montazeri, acclaimed to be a great defender of the Iranian opposition movement, died overnight at the age of 87. Montazeri was suffering from an undisclosed illness according to a statement by his son, Ahmad. Montazeri passed away last Saturday in his home at Qum, some 60 miles south of Tehran.

“Ayatollah Montazeri will be remembered in the history of Iran as brave, open-minded and willing to say the truth at any time, even when encountering danger,” said Fazel Maybodi, a disciple of Montazeri and reformist cleric in a report by the Los Angeles Times.

Montazeri’s stature became more ingrained in Iranian society when he become a strong member of the opposition in the months following Iran’s presidential elections last June, formally challenging its legitimacy.

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