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Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, one of his nation’s most controversial and iconic leaders for a half-century — on and off the battlefield — died Saturday at the age of 85, of complications from a stroke eight years ago. Sharon’s son, Gilad Sharon, announced his death Saturday afternoon outside the hospital where he was being treated. “He has gone. He went when he decided to go,” he said. ANALYSIS: Sharon’s legacy in Israel a complex one The death of Sharon, known by his nickname “Arik” to generations of Israelis, ends a tumultuous career that spanned the heights and depths of public life and Israeli history. Sharon was a military leader who led Israeli troops against Arab armies in every war from independence in 1948 until his stroke 58 years later. He was defense minister in 1982, when Israel attacked Lebanon in an attempt to oust the Palestinian Liberation Organization and reduce Syria’s stranglehold over Lebanon. Sharon was forced to resign after Lebanese Christian militias sent into the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps to weed out the PLO murdered hundreds of Palestinian civilians. MORE: 10 lesser-known facts about Sharon A longtime passionate advocate of Israeli settlement of land he helped conquer from Jordan and Egypt, which Palestinians seek for a state,he forced Jewish settlers to leave Gaza in 2005, ending 38 years of military governance. “Sharon combined brilliance and colossal failure” during his long and controversial career, said Edward Walker, U.S. ambassador to Israel from 1998 to 2000 and former president of the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank. | 
