According to a Vatican statement, the Pope died at 21:37 local time, or 22:37 Kyiv time.
In St. Peter's Square in Rome, where many people have gathered, prayers are being recited. Most of them came as the sun was setting; some held candles in their hands; others recited prayers, while still others spoke his name in Italian - Giovanni Paolo.
The Pope had been in a serious condition since Thursday - and had increasingly severe problems with his heart and kidneys; his blood pressure and his breathing were slowly deteriorating.
On Friday he bid farewell to many high-ranking Church officials - and asked that his favorite texts from the Bible be read to him; among them - the account in the Gospels of Jesus' Stations of the Cross.
Pope John Paul II, who turned 84, was elected to the papal throne in 1978. He became the first non-Italian in the last 455 years to lead the Roman Catholic Church, and the first Polish Pope in history.
He also became the most traveled Pope in history, visiting more than a hundred countries during his pontificate.