Sir John Hoddinott, who carried out an inquiry into the police shooting of a man in Sussex, was found dead in an hotel room today.
The former Chief Constable of Hampshire was discovered by a colleague in Middlesbrough, where he was based while investigating alleged wrongdoing by Cleveland police.
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Sir John, in his report, was highly critical of Sussex Chief Constable Paul Whitehouse for comments he made after the police fatal shooting of James Ashley during a raid on his flat in Hastings in 1998.
It is widely believed Sir John's findings contributed to Mr Whitehouse's decision to retire early.
Sir John, who lived near Winchester, also carried out an inquiry into Sussex Police security measures after the IRA bombing of the Grand Hotel in 1984. He found no serious lapses.
Sir John was chief constable of Hampshire constabulary for 11 years from September 1988, retiring in September 1999.
A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police said: "It would be fair comment to describe him as a giant professionally."
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