(CNN) Paul Bocuse, a renowned chef credited with transforming French cuisine, has died at age 91, the French interior minister said Saturday.

"Paul Bocuse is dead. Gastronomy is in mourning. Mister Paul was France. Simplicity and generosity. Excellence and the art of living. The Pope of gourmets is leaving us," Gerard Collomb said on Twitter.

Paul Bocuse est mort, la Gastronomie est en deuil.

Monsieur Paul, c'était la France. Simplicité & générosité. Excellence & art de vivre.

Le pape des gastronomes nous quitte. Puissent nos chefs, à Lyon, comme aux quatre coins du monde, longtemps cultiver les fruits de sa passion. pic.twitter.com/XI0ozzzGJK — Gérard Collomb (@gerardcollomb) January 20, 2018

Bocuse was among the key figures in the creation of French nouvelle cuisine. He earned a coveted third Michelin star in 1965 and was named Chef of the Century by the prominent Gault Millau restaurant guide in 1987.

In 1987, he launched what has become a prestigious international gastronomy contest, the Bocuse d'Or , in which chefs from around the world compete to create the best dishes in front of a live audience.

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