Former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau remembered as a ‘giant’

WATCH ABOVE: Mike Armstrong looks back at the life and political career of Jacques Parizeau.

MONTREAL – Tributes began pouring in early today for ex-Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau, with former adviser Jean-Francois Lisee saying a “giant has passed away.”

“There is immense grief tonight,” Lisee, now a Parti Quebecois member of the legislature, said on Twitter.

“His ideas light the way for the future.”

Parizeau’s longtime wife, Lisette Lapointe, announced the death on her Facebook page Monday night, saying the sovereigntist icon had passed away after a “titanic fight.”

READ MORE: Former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau dead at 84

Longtime Quebec political commentator Josee Legault called Parizeau, 84, “the last of the premiers.”

“May you finally rest in peace,” she said.

Parizeau was a longtime finance minister under Rene Levesque before leaving the PQ in the mid-1980s over his boss’s decision to shelve the sovereignty option.

Parizeau returned as PQ leader in 1988 before becoming premier in the 1994 election and paving the way for the independence referendum a year later that eventually led to his political resignation following the Yes side’s narrow defeat.

WATCH ABOVE: A giant in Quebec politics has died. Surrounded by loved ones in hospital on Monday night, Jacques Parizeau died peacefully, aged 84. As Caroline Plante reports from Quebec City, reactions to his death have been pouring in all day.

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, one of the student leaders from the 2012 protests, said “Quebec is in mourning. A great statesman has left us.”

Grandson Hadrien Parizeau said his grandfather’s teachings will never leave him.

“My grandfather was an incredible man,” said Hadrien Parizeau.

“He taught me a lot. The advice he gave me during unforgettable times with him will continue to guide me forever.

“Thanks granddad.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My grandfather was an incredible man," said Hadrien Parizeau.</p><p>"He taught me a lot. The advice he gave me during unforgettable times with him will continue to guide me forever.</p><p>"Thanks granddad."

Federal Industry Minister James Moore also extended his condolences.

“My sympathies to the Parizeau family,” he said.