Simon Crean cause of death

At the age of 74, Simon Crean, a former cabinet minister and leader of the Australian Labor Party, passed away. Guardian Australia reports that Crean passed away unexpectedly on Sunday while traveling.

The party struggled during his leadership as Labor leader from November 2001 to December 2003 as a result of its third straight loss to John Howard in the federal election.

Crean was chosen to succeed Gareth Evans as the Deputy Leader of the Labor Party after Labor’s defeat in the 1998 election. He then succeeded Kim Beazley as the Labor Party’s leader in 2001, rising to the post of Leader of the Opposition.

Despite his initial popularity, Crean encountered difficulties in the polls, which raised questions about his ability to lead. He was challenged for leadership in June 2003 by Kim Beazley, but Crean won.

Crean announced his resignation in November 2003, becoming the first Labor Party Leader to do so without contesting a federal election, despite persistent rumors about his leadership.

His Shadow Treasurer, Mark Latham, succeeded him. Crean retained a significant presence within the Labor Party despite losing the leadership post.

He rejoined the Cabinet as the Minister for Trade after the Labor Party won the 2007 election. Crean stayed in the Cabinet under Julia Gillard’s leadership and backed her in her successful bid to unseat Kevin Rudd as prime minister in June 2010.

Despite having backed Gillard during the 2012 leadership contest, Crean declared in March 2013 that he was switching to Rudd’s side, sparking a new leadership contest. Gillard responded by removing him from the Cabinet.

In the end, Crean ran unsuccessfully for the position of Deputy Leader when Rudd recaptured the post of Prime Minister in the leadership coup in June 2013. Later, he made an announcement that he would leave politics following the 2013 election.