Sudden death of the 10th Panchen Lama Chökyi Gyaltsen in January 1989 at the age of only 51
In January 1989, the 10th Panchen Lama Chökyi Gyaltsen, who ranked second only to the Dalai Lama in status within Tibet's religious system and had long served as a lubricant between the central authorities and the Tibetan region, suddenly died at the age of only 51, and the situation in Tibet promptly grew sensitive.