MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government says Secretary of Culture Rafael Tovar y de Teresa, a diplomat, historian and promoter of the arts, has died. He was 62.

The Culture Ministry says in a statement that Tovar died early Saturday morning and his funeral would be held later in the day. On Thursday it announced that he had been hospitalized for evaluation.

President Enrique Pena Nieto expressed condolences through his official Twitter account. He noted that Tovar was the country's first culture secretary and a passionate promoter of Mexican culture abroad.

Pena Nieto named Tovar culture secretary in December 2015. Prior to that he had been president of the national culture and arts council, which Pena Nieto elevated to a Cabinet-level position.