EU Parliament President David Sassoli Dies At 65

David Sassoli had been ill for the past few months. He had been in a hospital in Italy since December 26, dealing with a serious complication because of the dysfunction of his immune system.

File image of EU Parliament President David Sassoli | Photo: Getty

New Delhi: European Union Parliament President David Sassoli died on Tuesday, January 11, in Italy. He was 65 years old. 

Sassoli had been ill for the past few months.

His spokesperson Roberto Cuillo took to Twitter to share this news. He said Sassoli passed away at 1.15 AM in Italy where he was in hospital. He said the details regarding his funeral would be communicated shortly.

The @EP_President David Sassoli passed away at 1.15 am on 11 January at the CRO in Aviano( PN), Italy, where he was hospitalized. The date and place of the funeral will be communicated in the next few hours.

— RobertoCuillo (@robertocuillo) January 11, 2022

In an earlier tweet, Cuillo had shared that Sassoli had been admitted to hospital since December 26. He was dealing with a serious complication because of the dysfunction of his immune system. Cuillo told Italy’s SkyTG24: “In the final week of December there was a worsening of the illness, and then the final days of his battle.”

The @EP_President David Sassoli has been in hospital in Italy since 26 December because of a serious complication due to a disfunction of the immune system. As a result all official activities have been cancelled.

— RobertoCuillo (@robertocuillo) January 10, 2022

Sassoli suffered pneumonia caused by the legionella bacteria in September, which forced him to miss out on many important legislative meetings. He is survived by his wife Alessandra Vittorini, and children, Livia and Giulio.

Sassoli was an Italian journalist who later turned to politics. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 2009, and then for another term in 2014. He was appointed as President of the European Union Parliament in 2019. 

His appointment came at a time when political infighting was happening between some of the EU leaders. Sassoli’s two-and-a-half-year tenure was marked with the challenges of the pandemic.

Condolences are pouring in for the leader from different corners of the world.