A former President of Germany, Horst Koehler is dead.
Koehler, who served as head of state from 2004 to 2010, died on Saturday at the age of 81.
A statement by Germany’s Presidency said the former Head of State died after a brief illness.
“Koehler passed away early this morning in Berlin after a short, serious illness surrounded by his family,” the statement said.
Before Koehler’s tenure as german president, he held several prominent international positions, including serving as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2000 to 2004.
The deceased had resigned as the President of Germany in 2010 after controversy trailed remarks he made about the country’s military engagements.
Kohler was born on February 22, 1943, in Skierbieszów, which was then part of Nazi-occupied Poland.
His family was of German descent and later resettled in Leipzig, East Germany, before fleeing to West Germany in 1953.
The former President grew up in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg.
He studied economics and political science at the University of Tübingen, earning a doctorate in economics in 1977.
