The former President of Germany who served as head of state from 2004 to 2010, Horst Koehler has passed away. Koehler died on Saturday at the age of 81 after a brief illness, as announced by officials in the presidency.
“Koehler passed away early this morning in Berlin after a short, serious illness surrounded by his family,” the German presidency stated in an announcement.
Before his presidency, Koehler held several prominent international positions, including serving as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2000 to 2004.
Koehler resigned from the position of Germany’s president in 2010 following controversy over remarks he made regarding Germany’s military engagements.
Born on February 22, 1943, in Skierbieszów, which was then part of Nazi-occupied Poland, Koehler’s family was of German descent. They later resettled in Leipzig, East Germany, before fleeing to West Germany in 1953.
Koehler grew up in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, and studied economics and political science at the University of Tübingen, where he earned a doctorate in economics in 1977.
