European Parliament President David Sassoli dies at age 65
ABC News
David Sassoli, the Italian journalist who worked his way up in politics and became president of the European Union’s parliament, has died at a hospital in Italy
BRUSSELS -- David Sassoli, an Italian journalist who worked his way up in politics while defending the downtrodden and oppressed to become president of the European Union’s parliament, died in an Italian hospital on Tuesday at 65.
European Council President Charles Michel called Sassoli a “sincere and passionate European. We already miss his human warmth, his generosity, his friendliness and his smile.”
Sassoli, a socialist, had been hospitalized since Dec. 26 because of abnormal functioning of his immune system, his spokesman Roberto Cuillo said. Sassoli will be buried Friday at Rome's Santa Maria degli Angeli, the church where state funerals are held.
Sassoli had been struggling for months with poor health after he suffered pneumonia caused by the legionella bacteria in September. His health steadily declined afterward and he was forced to miss several important legislative meetings. Yet, as much as possible, he stayed on the job, where his vigor and easy smile had always been a trademark. He was at his strongest when he took up the cause of migrants who died crossing the Mediterranean or dissidents such as Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is taking on the Kremlin from a jail cell.