LONDON (AFP) - Tributes poured in for Sir Edward Heath, the former British prime minister who has died aged 89, with Prime Minister Tony Blair calling him a "man of great integrity" and Tory leader Michael Howard saying he was a "political giant".
Queen Elizabeth II was "terribly sorry" after hearing the news of Heath's death on Sunday, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said.
Heath, who turned 89 earlier this month, represented the Conservative Party in the House of Commons for more than 50 years, serving as prime minister from 1970 to 1974, and only stepping down at the 2001 election.
His most notable achievement during his single term as prime minister was taking Britain into what was then the European Economic Community, the forerunner to the European Union.
He led the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975 when he was succeeded by Margaret Thatcher.
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