The former mayor of St Petersburg, Mr Anatoly Sobchak (62), who died on Sunday, was one of the leading reformers of the Soviet period, a strong backer of former President Boris Yeltsin and the first person to give Russia's acting President, Vladimir Putin, a major political role.
He played an important role in drafting the current Russian constitution which came into force in 1993.
Mr Sobchak, from Chita near the Chinese border, died while on holiday in Svetlogorsk in Russia's Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic Sea. He is survived by his wife, Lyudmilla Narusova, and two daughters.
A lawyer by profession, Mr Sobchak was responsible for changing the name of Russia's second city from Leningrad to St Petersburg in 1992.
As mayor he drafted Mr Vladimir Putin as his deputy in charge of foreign investment, the first major step in Mr Putin's career.
His greatest moment came in August 1991 when, with tanks on the streets of Moscow in an attempt to overthrow the Soviet president, Mr Mikhail Gorbachev, he called the people on to the streets to prevent a similar occurrence in St Petersburg.
Mr Sobchak's term as mayor began with great promise but ended in rejection by the people. Frequent travels abroad, the city's growing reputation as Russia's "crime capital" and accusations of personal corruption were the main factors in his defeat by Mr Vladimir Yakovlev in the mayoral elections in 1996.
Following an investigation into his activities he moved to Paris, returning to Russia only last year when corruption charges were dropped.
He failed in an attempt at election to the Russian State Duma in December 1999.