FACTBOX-Five facts about former Indonesian president Suharto

(Reuters) - Indonesia's former strongman president Suharto died on Sunday. He was 86.

He had suffered strokes and other ailments since resigning as president in 1998, although some critics claimed his illnesses were at times exaggerated in a successful effort to avoid being tried over graft charges.

Following are key facts about Suharto.

EARLY YEARS:

-- Suharto's background was humble. He was born on June 8, 1921. His father was a minor official in the village of Kemusuk in Central Java, but after his parents divorced, he was shunted among relatives.

-- Working first as a bank clerk, he later joined the Dutch colonial army. During the Japanese 1942-45 occupation, Suharto was an officer in the Japanese-trained "Indonesian army", and afterwards fought with Indonesian forces against the Dutch.

RISE TO POWER:

-- The army general moved into the limelight in 1965 when he announced six of his fellow generals had been killed in what was officially called an attempted communist coup. The alleged coup attempt was followed by an anti-communist purge in which up to 500,000 people died.

-- Suharto's own role in events remains controversial. But as leader of the army's crack strategic command, he was able to bring order out of the chaos and enhance his image and influence, setting the stage for his takeover of the presidency when founding father Sukarno reluctantly resigned in 1967.