FILE PHOTO: Iraq's President Jalal Talabani speaks during a news conference with Iyad Allawi, a former prime minister and head of the secular Iraqiya coalition, in Baghdad March 31, 2010. (REUTERS PHOTO)

BAGHDAD, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi former President and the leader of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Jalal Talabani died Tuesday, the Iraqi official television reported.

Talabani, who suffered a stroke, was admitted to a hospital in Germany after his health was deteriorated recently, and he passed away in the hospital, the state-run Iraqiya channel said.

The death of the Kurdish leader, Talabani, came as tensions are running high between Baghdad government and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan after the Kurdish region held a controversial referendum on independence of Kurdistan and disputed areas, including Kirkuk.