India, March 22 -- Former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III passed away at the age of 81 on Friday evening.

"With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away", his family stated in a statement Saturday. "His family asks that their privacy be respected."

Last year in August, his family informed The New York Times that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2021. However, the exact cause of his death is yet to be revealed.

Mueller held the position of FBI director for more than a decade, having joined the agency shortly before the September 11 attacks in 2001. His 12-year leadership of the FBI ranks among the longest in history, second only to J. Edgar Hoover. He was originally scheduled to resign in 2011 (as C...