Death
Kazi Lhendup Dorjee died of a heart attack on July 30, 2007 at his home in Kalimpong, North Bengal in the Indian State of West Bengal. Kalimpong is located just across the state border from Sikkim. Dorjee was 103 years old at the time of his death. Though he died of a heart attack, Dorjee had been suffering from liver problems for several years.
Dorjee's funeral took place at the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim on August 3, 2007.
The current Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Kumar Chamling, called Dorjee a distinguished statesman who helped to motivate Chamling to join Sikkim's democracy movement in 1973.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released a statement following Dorjee's death saying, "“I am deeply shocked and grieved to learn of the sad demise of Shri Kazi Lhendup Dorjee Khang Serpa, the first Chief Minister of Sikkim. He played a historic role as the architect of Sikkim’s accession to the Indian Union and had the distinction of spearheading the State as its first Chief Minister from 1974 to 1979. The pride of place occupied by Sikkim as an important State of our country and its impressive progress in many spheres owe a lot to numerous policies initiated by him. In his unfortunate passing away the country in general and the State of Sikkim in particular has lost a veteran public figure whose many sided contributions to nation building endeared him to the people."
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