Ex-German President Horst Köhler Dies At 81

Former German President who was also a one-time head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Horst Köhler, is dead.

Popular for stunning the country by resigning abruptly in a flap over comments about the country’s military, Köhler died on Saturday morning in Berlin after a short illness at the age of 81.

Köhler, who was head of state from 2004 to 2010, was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, the office of current German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement.

In a letter of condolence to Köhler’s wife, Eva Louise, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote Saturday that “many people in our country will mourn with you. For in Horst Köhler, we have lost a highly esteemed and extremely popular person who achieved great things for our country and in the world.

“It was above all his approachability, his infectious laughter and his optimism, his belief in the strength of our country and in the energy and creativity of its people that won him so many hearts. But it was also his often clear and by no means always comfortable admonitions and speeches that won him recognition.”

Köhler was little known to most Germans and a stranger to front-line politics before he won the presidency as his nomination was greeted by the mass-circulation of Daily Bild with the headline “Horst Who?”

However, he built up high popularity ratings once on the job, something that he achieved in part by positioning himself as an outsider to the country’s political elite.

He occasionally refused to sign bills into law due to constitutional concerns and didn’t always make himself popular with the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose choice he was for the presidency, a largely ceremonial job but often seen as a source of moral authority.

Köhler was elected before Merkel came to power, at a time when Germany was struggling to come to terms with labour market reforms and welfare cuts.

He said Germans must not rest on past achievements, and said he was “deeply convinced Germany has the strength for change.”

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; studied Economics and Political Science at the University of Tübingen where he earned a doctorate degree in Economics in 1977.

Köhler is survived by his wife, daughter Ulrike and son, Jochen.