Czech conductor Libor Pesek, who led the Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for a decade, has died at age 89, the Czech culture minister said Monday.

“One of the most prominent Czech conductors, Libor Pesek, has died,” the minister, Martin Baxa, said on Twitter. 

Pesek, who was born in Prague in 1933, was the head conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra from 1987 to 1997.

He also led orchestras in the Netherlands and was a conductor-in-residence of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra from 1981 to 1990.

In 1996, Pesek was made Knight Commander of the British Empire by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Czech media said Pesek died on Sunday.

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