Published
David Sassoli died at the age of 65. The President of the EU Parliament had been receiving treatment in an Italian hospital for a long time.
The 65-year-old is said to have suffered from a dysfunction of the immune system.
AFP/Johanna Geron
The President of Parliament had been in the hospital since December 26th: Sassoli with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
AFP/Geert van den Wijngaaert
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The President of the European Parliament had been receiving treatment in an Italian hospital since December 26th.
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Now David Sassoli has died at the age of 65.
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The stay in the hospital had become necessary “because of a serious complication due to a dysfunction of the immune system”.
The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, is dead. He died early Tuesday morning at the age of 65 in the municipality of Aviano in the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, said spokesman Roberto Cuillo of the German press agency.
A spokesman for the EU Parliament in Brussels announced on Monday that Sassoli was being treated in a hospital in his home country, Italy. The stay had become necessary “because of a serious complication due to a dysfunction of the immune system”. Early in the morning, the first politicians expressed their condolences. “Ciao David, lifelong friend,” wrote Italy’s Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini on Twitter.
In treatment since December 26th
Sassoli belonged to the social democratic party Partito Democratico (PD). According to the EU Parliament, the President of the Parliament had been in treatment since December 26th. All of his appointments have been canceled.
The stay in the hospital had not previously been announced. In October, Sassoli already missed a session of parliament because he had a fever. He was previously hospitalized for pneumonia. The Spital Centro di Riferimento Oncologico in Aviano did not provide any information when asked on Tuesday morning. Spokesman Cuillo said on Twitter that the time and place of the funeral would be announced in the coming hours.
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(DPA/chk)