Exorcist Fr Elija Vella has died, the Order of Friars Minor Conventual announced on Monday afternoon.

The death of the 81-year-old was announced on Facebook, with tributes immediately pouring in.

"We have lost a pillar of the community," one social media user said, while others recalled his charismatic and quiet nature.

PN leader Bernard Grech also paid tribute to the man: "Patri Elija, as he is known by many, has done a lot of good with various people, and we will remain grateful for this".

Joining the online tributes, St Paul's Bay Marija Addolorata parish said the locality's 6pm mass on Monday will be offered for the repose of his soul. 

In a recent interview with MaltaToday, Fr Vella spoke about his experience as an exorcist appointed by the archbishop. An exorcism could take anything from 30 minutes to several years, he says in the interview.

Asked whether a real exorcism was similar to those depicted in the film The Exorcist, Fr Vella had said phenomena seen in the film could happen and have happened, but not during a single exorcism on a single person.