New Delhi, Sep 3 - The country had lost a 'popular leader of the masses', senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani said Thursday while condoling the death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

'I am deeply saddened to know that the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has died in a tragic helicopter accident. I condole his untimely and tragic death,' Advani said in a message issued here.

In the death of Reddy, popularly known as YSR, 'people of Andhra Pradesh and the country at large have lost a very able and popular leader of masses'.

Advani, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha also said that YSR's contribution to the development of the state and particularly the deprived classes of the society was 'praiseworthy'.