* President of France from 1995-2007
* Opposed United States over 2003 Iraq invasion
* Chirac suffered neurological problems
* Was rarely seen in public in recent years (Adds Macron, Johnson, Major reactions, Eiffel Tower goes dark)
By Sophie Louet and Michel Rose
PARIS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Former President Jacques Chirac, a political chameleon who dominated French politics for decades and strived to make France's voice heard in Europe and beyond, died on Thursday at the age of 86.
Chirac was president from 1995 to 2007. He shaped his style in the mould of post-war leader Charles de Gaulle, seeking to strengthen France's status as a player on the world stage and was best remembered for his opposition to the war in Iraq.
The National Assembly interrupted a sitting to hold a minute's silence. President Emmanuel Macron cancelled a public engagement and declared a national day of mourning for Monday. The lights on the Eiffel Tower were turned off.
"The president embodied a certain idea of France," Macron said in a televised address. "A France that is independent and proud, and was able to stand up against an unjustified military intervention."
Chirac passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones, his son-in-law Frederic Salat-Baroux told Reuters.
Mayor of Paris for 18 years and prime minister for presidents on the political left and right before entering the Elysee Palace himself, Chirac had a knack for connecting with voters, particularly in rural France.
"Jacques Chirac knew how to form a personal bond with the French people," said former socialist President Francois Hollande. "France was in his blood. He explored every corner, tasted every local delicacy."
Five years after leaving office, Chirac was found guilty in December 2012 of abusing public funds as Paris mayor, making him the first head of state convicted since Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Petain in 1945.
But he served no jail time and the saga did little to tarnish his image.
IRAQ
His defiant opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq brought his relationship with then British Prime Minister Tony Blair to an acrimonious low, but Blair said he was deeply saddened by his passing.
"He was a towering figure in French and European politics over many decades. Whatever our differences from time to time, he was always unfailingly kind, generous and personally supportive," Blair said in a statement.
Blair's predecessor, John Major, praised "a supreme politician". "Although he was forever impulsive - and often brave - once he gave his word it was, in my own experience, invariably honoured," he said.