As soon as Fujimori's daughter announced his death, his supporters began gathering outside his house.
“Our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just passed away to be with the Lord after a long battle with cancer,” his children Keiko, Hiro, Sachie and Kenji said in a joint statement.
“We ask those who loved him to pray for the eternal rest of his soul.
“Thank you so much, Dad!”
To Fujimori's supporters, he was the man who saved Peru from the brutal Maoist rebel group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) and got the economy back on track after a period of runaway inflation.
But to the thousands of innocent victims of the conflict, Fujimori was an authoritarian and brutal leader.
Fujimori, the son of Japanese immigrants, ruled with an iron fist, and his tenure was marked by dramatic twists and turns.
He was first elected president in 1990, at the height of the rebel rebellion.
Two years later, Fujimori closed down the Diet, accusing lawmakers of preventing the country from taking necessary action.
His government defeated the rebels but suffered enormous casualties.
An estimated 69,000 people have died as a result of his authoritarian government's repression.
Fujimori was eventually convicted of human rights abuses that primarily targeted poor indigenous communities.
Fujimori ruled Peru until he was forced to step down on corruption charges. He sought asylum in Japan before returning to Chile, where he was arrested.
Today, his daughter Keiko is the leader of Peru's largest political party.
She narrowly lost the last presidential election and has already announced that she will run again in 2026.
