Albanese hails Labor titan Simon Crean

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reflected on the special relationship he shared with former Labor leader Simon Crean, who died yesterday, aged 74.

On Sunday night, Crean's family confirmed the long-time Labor party and union movement figure died in Germany after his morning exercise.

Speaking on Today, Albanese hailed Crean's "extraordinary achievements" and said he'd had more contact with him over the past year than when the two were in parliament together.

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"He was someone who gave me advice as the Labor leader and as Prime Minister," Albanese said.

Albanese said it was "such an enormous shock" to hear Crean had died.

Crean had an impact across the wide range of portfolios he'd been responsible for, Albanese said, which included trade, arts, agriculture and employment.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum for the man who served in a range of ministries under multiple prime ministers and led the opposition from 2001 to 2003.

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They praised his devotion to the Labor party and union movement, and highlighted his opposition the the Iraq War as a defining moment in a long political career.

The Crean family remembered him first and foremost as a loving father and husband.

"His greatest achievements were as father to Sarah and Emma and loving husband to Carole," the family said.

"They were married for over 50 years."

The former ACTU president was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1990 and held portfolios including trade, primary industries, employment and education before retiring in 2013.

He served in cabinet under prime ministers Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.

Albanese said Crean was "respected by all" and was a man who "retained his abiding sense of humanity".

"The common threads running through his long career were his courage and his principled action, qualities that came so powerfully to the fore when he opposed the Iraq War," Albanese said.

"Yet his opposition to the war was backed by his unwavering respect for the members of the Australian Defence Force, a respect he showed when he went to address the troops ahead of their deployment.

"History has vindicated Simon's judgment, but at the time his stance was deeply counter to the prevailing political and media climate."

Labor Treasurer Jim Chalmers described Crean as a "very good man — decent, generous and wonderful company".

"A lifetime of dedication to our country and its working people won't be forgotten," he said.

Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack said he was saddened to hear of the former member for Hotham's death.

"As a first-term opposition backbencher in 2010, the advice and assistance this Labor luminary gave me was quite extraordinary," he said.

"He offered help when our daughter moved to Melbourne. A wonderful human being, he was an MP who genuinely cared."

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The Victorian politicianwas visiting Berlin as part of an industry delegation in his role as chair of the European Australian Business Council when he passed away.

"Australian business and industry leaders with us here in Berlin, and our wider community at home, are shocked by the sudden loss of a great Australian who has always led with conviction, wisdom and warmth," the organisation said, on social media.

Journalist Barrie Cassidy also highlighted Crean's opposition to the Iraq war.

"Simon Crean told the Parliament in the presence of Pres Bush that the true measure of friendship was to tell a friend when they were wrong. And they were wrong on the Iraq war," Cassidy said.

"He was right. Yet he became the only Labor leader never to contest an election."

Crean was the son of Whitlam-era treasurer Frank Crean and the brother of Tasmanian politician David Crean.

Before entering politics, he spent six years as the head of the Federated Storemen and Packers' Union and was president of the ACTU between 1985 and 1990.

Crean was a minister in the Hawke and Keating governments after first winning the seat of Hotham in 1990.

He was opposition leader between 2001 and 2003, but did not take the party to an election.

In 2013, he publicly called for a leadership challenge and retired days after Rudd took over from Gillard as prime minister.

Crean described the three turbulent preceding years of minority government as the low point of his career and backed his decision to ask Rudd to challenge.

On retirement, he said he was most proud of playing a role in the signing of the Accord between the Hawke government and the ACTU.

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