Wednesday August 20, 2008  12:46 pm

BEIJING (AP) - The official Xinhua News Agency says former Chinese leader Hua Guofeng has died at the age of 87.

Hua ruled China for only a few months after he succeeded communist founder Mao Zedong in 1976. Deng Xiaoping pushed Hua aside as a prelude to reforms that launched an economic boom.

State broadcaster CCTV says Hua died Wednesday. Xinhua says the cause of death was an unspecified illness.