‘Dear Leader’ an enigma throughout career

KIM JONG IL, North Korea’s mercurial and enigmatic long-time leader, was reputed to have a taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine.

State media said he died of a heart attack.

He is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 but he had appeared relatively vigorous in photos and video from recent trips to China and Russia and in numerous trips around the country carefully documented by state media.