John Turner, Canada's 17th prime minister who spent decades in federal politics as a cabinet minister and Liberal Party leader during some of the most turbulent moments in modern Canadian history, has died at 91.

Turner led Canada for 79 days in the summer of 1984 — the second-shortest time in office of any prime minister.

Dubbed "Canada's Kennedy" as a stylish, up-and-coming young MP in the early 1960s, Turner was Pierre Trudeau's chief anglophone lieutenant in cabinet for years. Turner served as justice minister when the government decriminalized homosexuality and suspended civil liberties during the October Crisis in 1970, and was the finance minister as Ottawa struggled to control deficit spending and inflation during the oil crisis.

After a shock resignation from Trudeau's government and a period of self-imposed exile on Bay Street, Turner eventually completed his climb to the Liberal leadership in the mid-1980s. But he inherited a party suffering from years of accumulated scandals and an electorate ready for change after more than two decades of nearly unbroken Liberal rule.

In the end, Turner's most enduring moments in federal politics came once his short stint at 24 Sussex was over — namely, years of bitter battles waged with Brian Mulroney over free trade with the United States. They were fierce fights that Turner eventually lost, but the legacy of those debates continues to shape Canadian politics today.

On Saturday, Mulroney remembered Turner as a man "destined for great success" and a politician who "never believed in the politics of personal destruction."

In a statement confirming his passing, the Department of Canadian Heritage called Turner "an accomplished lawyer and politician, [who] was recognized for his personal integrity and commitment to democracy.

"Through three decades of public service as a cabinet minister, Leader of the Opposition, and 17th Prime Minister of Canada (1984), he was tirelessly devoted to upholding Canadian values and principles."

The statement said funeral information would follow.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement he had "learned with great sadness today of the death of the Right Honourable John Turner, former Prime Minister of Canada."