Ariel Sharon
Ariel SharonFlash 90

After eight years in a vegetative state following a severe stroke, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel "Arik" Sharon has passed away at the age of 85. His vital organs had begun failing in early January.

The controversial leader, who broke off from Likud in 2005 to form the Kadima party in forcing through his "Disengagement" plans that expelled all Jewish residents from Gaza, was eulogized by various world leaders, even as he was reviled in death by Palestinian leaders.

A quick trip down memory lane reveals the former leader's life in pictures: