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STORY: The U.S.-based Turkish political dissident Fethullah Gülen has died.

Gülen built a religious movement in his home country and later lived in self-imposed exile in the United States where his influence continued to provoke the wrath of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

On Sunday, a website that publishes his sermons said on social media that Gulen had died at the age of 83.

Gülen was a one-time ally of Erdogan but they fell out spectacularly.

Erdogan held him responsible for the 2016 attempted coup in which rogue soldiers commandeered airplanes, tanks and helicopters. Some 250 people were killed in the bid to seize power.

In an interview with Reuters at his compound in Pennsylvania in 2017, Gülen denied involvement in the coup.

"I have never supported a coup or an ouster, I think any change should happen as a result of an election, if that is required. It is important that democracy is not harmed."

Gülen had lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999. His movement was designated as a terrorist group by Turkey.

On Monday, Turkey's foreign minister said "the leader of this dark organization has died," and said what he described as Gülen's "spell" on his followers must be lifted.

Followers of Gülen's movement - known as "Hizmet" which means "service" in Turkish - say it seeks to spread a moderate brand of Islam that promotes Western-style education, free markets and interfaith communication.

Since the failed coup, his movement has been systematically dismantled in Turkey and its international influence has declined.

Soon after the 2016 coup, Erdogan described Gülen's network as traitors and "like a cancer," vowing to root them out wherever they are.

Ankara long sought to have him extradited from the United States.