Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Vaclav Havel, the Czech writer and dissident who helped lead his nation’s uprising against Communism and later became the country’s president, died today at age 75, state televsion reported.

He passed away after a long illness, state TV said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Douglas Lytle in Prague at dlytle@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dick Schumacher at dschumacher@bloomberg.net