NEW DELHI (Kyodo) -- Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh died at a hospital in New Delhi on Thursday, the country's government said. He was 92.

Singh, an economist-turned-politician, served as prime minister from 2004 to 2014, pushing ahead with reforms of the country's economy and steering its growth with the information technology industry at its center in the 2000s.

Born in the Punjab region, now part of Pakistan, Singh studied at Oxford and Cambridge universities in Britain and headed the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985. He also served as finance minister in the 1990s.

The cause of his death remains unknown.

"India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the X social media platform. Singh left "a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years" and "made extensive efforts to improve people's lives," Modi said.

Singh as prime minister frequently visited Japan to enhance bilateral relations. In 2014, he became the first Indian to receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, one of the highest-ranking honors offered by the Japanese government.