A former president of one of the country's leading medical institutions, the West China Hospital of Sichuan University, was found dead in Chengdu, Sichuan province on Wednesday afternoon.

Shi Yingkang, 65, fell to his death from the 20th floor of his apartment building, which was within walking distance of the hospital.

Liao Zhilin, chief of the hospital's publicity department, said it was "certain Shi was not murdered".

"But it is unknown whether he committed suicide or fell from his residence accidentally," he said, adding that the apartment building is privately owned and not associated with the hospital.

Liao denied speculation that Shi's death was in some way related to a recent visit by a Party discipline inspection committee, as reported on caixin.com

"As a matter of fact, it is the National Audit Office that is auditing the university. It is a regular audit which is not targeting the West China Hospital of Sichuan University," he said.

In response to the death of Shi, who served as president of the hospital from 1993 to 2013, a prominent section of the university's website was turned over to an obituary on a black background, mourning a "great loss".

It said the former president was instrumental in turning the hospital into a leading medical establishment for hospital management, theoretical research and practical applications, as well as a national-level treatment center for difficult, complicated and critical diseases in West China.

On Wednesday night, medics lit candles forming a giant heart in the hospital's compound, offering their condolences for the late Shi.

Shao Zhenyong, a native of Henan province who worked at the hospital for six years before moving to the Longquanyi district hospital in Chengdu two years ago, was among them.

He said Shi was a renowned cardiac surgeon who was well regarded both as a medic and a manager.

"It was Shi who changed an obscure hospital which was only known in Sichuan into a famous one in China. He was nice to his colleagues," Shao said.

Liao, from the hospital publicity department, added: "Shi had a hot temper and an unyielding character. But he was nice to the staff in the hospital."

Shi's daughter, an associate professor with the hospital's nephrology department called Shi Yunying, wrote a post on WeChat following her father's death.

"He became disillusioned and tired. So he wanted to leave," she said.

Liao speculated that the former president may have been influenced by his father's suicide, which occurred during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

Shi Yingkang came from a line of famous doctors. His father was the founder of the pediatrics department at Chongqing Medical University, his mother was a renowned gynecologist and obstetrician and his uncle, a cardiothoracic surgeon, was president of Shanghai First Medical College.

He had given a lecture on medical sector reform three days before his death, according to a report on caixin.com