Yan Su

Renowned Chinese dramatist and military songwriter Yan Su, 86, died from an illness on Friday morning.

He died at 3:07 am in Beijing after medical treatment failed, according to the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

Yan went into a coma in September after taking part in the Victory and Peace grand cultural gala held in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in the World's Anti-Fascist War, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Yan received more than 100 awards, including lifetime achievement ones, for his contribution to opera, drama and music.

In a post on its Sina Weibo account, the PLA Air Force hailed Yan as "an artist with a loyal heart, passion and righteousness".

He had both talent and virtue and left the world with a legacy of more than 1,000 pieces of artwork "with ambition, virtue and warmth, which encouraged and inspired generations of Chinese people", the post read.

Born in 1930 in Baoding, Hebei province, Yan joined the Communist Party of China in 1953 and served as vice-president of the China Theater Association.

He also worked as a judge on several television talent shows.

He made his name with the opera Sister Jiang, which became a big hit when it was performed in 1964.

He also wrote lyrics for many songs, including the theme song for the TV series Journey to the West that was adapted from the classic novel of the same name and broadcast in China in 1986.