CARACAS - Venezuela's attorney general Carlos Escarrá, a close ally of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, has died of a heart attack in Venezuela. 

Known as the "Lawyer of the Revolution," Escarrá was appointed by Hugo Chavez in 2011 as Venezuela's attorney general, and was a member of Venezuela's United Socialist Party of Venezuela. 

Escarrá was a committed leftist, stating in a 2010 TV interview with Globovision that the word "communism" originated from early Christians, and added that, "If someone says that communism is evil, then Christ was wrong, the apostles were bad."

Escarrá claimed to be fully supportive of Hugo Chavez's "21st Century Socialism," and stated that  "socialism is a stage of transition to communism."

He explained that within the PSUV Party, all ​​substantive discussions on the country's issues were made collectively, and added that, "Once a decision is made, we support it collectively (...) I am part of a political project."