The political world mourns Wolfgang Schäuble. The Freiburg native has had a decades-long career in politics. From 1984 to 1989 he was Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Head of the Federal Chancellery. He has been a member of the German Bundestag continuously since 1972, making him the longest-serving member in the history of German national parliaments. From 2017 to 2021 he was President of the Bundestag. Schäuble has now died at the age of 81.
According to the German Press Agency, the politician fell asleep peacefully with his family around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Further details are currently unknown, as is the official cause of death. He leaves behind a wife and four children and grandchildren.
Since an assassination attempt on him in 1990, Schäuble has been paralyzed and dependent on a wheelchair. It is unclear what his health has been like recently. He had retired to spend more time with his family. His wife Ingeborg had previously had a serious fall.
