Dame Stella Rimington, first female director general of MI5, dies aged 90
She was born on May 13 1935 in South Norwood and died on Sunday night.
In a statement, her family said: 'She died surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath.'
In a statement on its website, MI5 expressed its condolences to Dame Stella's family, friends and former colleagues.
Sir Ken McCallum, current director general, said she 'broke through long-standing barriers' as the service's first female head.
He said: 'Dame Stella was the first publicly avowed director general of MI5. Her leadership ushered in a new era of openness and transparency about the work MI5 does to keep this country safe, a legacy that continues to this day.
'As the first avowed female head of any intelligence agency in the world, Dame Stella broke through long-standing barriers and was a visible example of the importance of diversity in leadership.
'Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her husband, two daughters and extended family.'
As part of a policy to 'demystify' MI5's work, she began a programme of releasing files to The National Archives, the service said.
She joined MI5 full time in 1969, having been recruited as a part-time clerk typist by its office in New Delhi's British High Commission after she accompanied her husband on a diplomatic posting there four years earlier.
She became director of each of the service's operational branches before she was appointed to deputy director general in 1991 and then director general a year later.
During her tenure in the top job, between 1992 and 1996, there were threats from the IRA and Russia, while the Islamist terror threat was also emerging.
When a newspaper published a photo of her house, she and her family had to move to a covert location for their own protection.
After leaving MI5 in 1996, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath that same year and published her autobiography, Open Secret, in 2001, kickstarting her career as a novelist.
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