The president of the European Parliament David Sassoli has died, his office announced early on Tuesday morning.
He passed away after a “serious complication” related to his immune system.
“The president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, passed away at 1.15 a.m. on January 11 at the hospital in Aviano, Italy,” his spokesman, Roberto Cuillo said on Twitter.
The date and place of the funeral will be communicated in the next few hours,” he added.
On Monday, the EU parliament confirmed he had been admitted to hospital in Italy on December 26.
In September 2021, during a plenary session of the parliament, the 65-year-old came down with a bad case of pneumonia.
He was married with two children.
Tributes soon poured in for Sassoli, an Italian social democrat.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lamented his loss, saying “Europe has lost a dedicated parliament president, Italy a shrewd politician, and Germany a good friend.”
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock praised Sassoli for “always
succeeding in bridging divides.”
She wrote on Twitter that “we will not forget his commitment to dealing humanely with
refugees,”