Former German president, Horst Koehler dies at 81

Former German President, Horst Köhler, who served as the country’s head of state from 2004 to 2010, has died at the age of 81.

Germany’s presidency announced that Köhler passed away on Saturday in Berlin following a brief but serious illness, surrounded by his family.

Before his tenure as Germany’s president, Köhler held several prominent international positions, including serving as Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2000 to 2004.

He resigned from the presidency in 2010 amid controversy over comments he made regarding Germany’s military engagements.

Born on February 22, 1943, in Skierbieszów, then under Nazi occupation, Köhler was of German descent. His family later resettled in Leipzig, East Germany, before fleeing to West Germany in 1953.

Köhler grew up in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, and pursued higher education at the University of Tübingen, where he studied economics and political science, earning a doctorate in economics in 1977.