Venezuelan media magnate Gustavo Cisneros dead at 78

(Reuters) -Venezuelan media mogul Gustavo Cisneros, who had expanded Cisneros from a family business into an important conglomerate for the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic market, has died at the age of 78, the company said.

The company confirmed his death on Friday on social media, calling him a "leader who transcended business, characterized by his strategic vision and commitment to innovation", without giving further details.

Cisneros, who remained chairman until his death, had signed several deals across different sectors and expanded the business.

In 1992, he co-founded Univision, the first Spanish-language media company in the United States. In 1995,he launched DIRECTV Latin America, the first all-digital direct-to-home satellite television service in Latin America.

His death prompted an outpour of sympathy from across the country.

The Unitary Platform, which brings together Venezuela's main political parties, said on Saturday on social media that it "joins the mourning that afflicts the Cisneros family."

So did Fedecamaras, the largest Venezuelan employers' association, which in a statement on Saturday recognized him as a successful businessman on a national and international level.

Cardinal Baltazar Porras from the Archdiocese of Caracas, called him in a statement "a media man and promoter of technology."

(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru and Mayela Armas in Caracas Editing by Frances Kerry and Diane Craft)