Sri Lanka's matriarch and the world's first woman prime minister, Ms Sirima Bandaranaike, died in Colombo yesterday, shortly after what turned out to be her final vote in parliamentary polls.
Ms Bandaranaike (84), had been wheeled in to vote at their home constituency of Attanagalle, 36 km north-east of Colombo and was being driven back when she suffered a massive heart attack.
Her death came as 12.07 million Sri Lankans went to the polls in parliamentary elections, which have already been overshadowed by bloodshed amid the drawn-out battle for independence by the country's Tamil Tigers.
Ms Bandaranaike stepped down from politics on August 10th after a 40-year career, but retained her position as a member of parliament. She has a place in history books as the world's first elected woman prime minister in 1960.
She was forced to retire as prime minister when her daughter, President Chandrika Kumaratunga, inducted the younger plantations minister, Mr Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (67), to lead a robust election campaign.
Mr Anura Bandaranaike, who is a member of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), said his mother's resignation on August 10th was against her wishes and that she was unhappy over the move.
"My mother was planning to resign at the end of the election campaign," Mr Bandaranaike said. "I met her twice after her `resignation' and I strongly feel that she was forced to leave."
Despite being eased out of the premiership, Ms Bandaranaike steadfastly held onto the leadership of the ruling coalition and the seat in parliament.
Her body was taken to her home in Colombo's fashionable Rosmead Place, officials said, adding funeral details were being worked out.
Ms Bandaranaike will be remembered for socialist reforms and the nationalisation of private enterprises. But she had also had wanted to bring about peace between her squabbling children.
Her only son, Anura, quit her Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 1993 after losing a succession battle to his sister, Kumaratunga, who went on to become president in November 1994.
Mr Anura Bandaranaike has often compared their feuding family to the Bhuttos of Pakistan.
Ms Bandaranaike's eldest daughter, Sunethra (57), said in a rare interview with a newspaper in August that their mother provided for them but lacked in showing affection.
"Although a good mother in the sense that she provided and made sure everything was right for us, she was not the type of mother who spent a great deal of time in an affectionate relationship cuddling and kissing us, playing with us, fooling around with us," Sunethra said.