Nobel Laureate and research cardiologist Dr Richard J Bing died at his home in Los Angeles.

Bing, who won the Nobel for his pioneering studies of the role of nitric oxide in the vascular system, celebrated his 101s birthday last month. Bing, who was suffering from heart disease, played a major role in understanding cardiac disease.

"Richard left an indelible mark on cardiology," Dr. Arnold M. Katz of the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine wrote recently. He "was a 'universal' man who made enormous and diverse contributions to our understanding of science and art."

Bing, among the last surviving Jewish scientists who fled Nazi Germany, had to his credit over 500 research articles and had published over 300 musical scores. He was born Oct 12, 1909 in Nuremberg, Germany.

Bing was among the first researchers to study congenital abnormalities. He worked with Dr. Helen Taussig and discovered how arteries of the heart are transposed, which is now known as Taussig-Bing Malformation. He found the heart is an omnivore and can extract energy to pump blood by oxidizing fats, carbohydrates or proteins.