Former Italian president Giorgio Napolitano has passed away. He was 98.
The two-time former president, whose health had been serious for some time, died at the Salvator Mundi International Hospital in Rome, said reports citing sources.
He is survived by his wife and two sons – Giovanni and Giulio.
Soon after the news of his demise broke, condolences started pouring in from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office, other politicians, the Vatican and beyond.
"I gratefully recall the personal meetings I had with him, during which I appreciated his humanity and foresight in making important choices with rectitude, especially at delicate times for the life of the country," Pope Francis wrote in a telegram of condolences to Napolitano's wife Clio Bittoni.
Napolitano became president in 2006 and was elected for an unprecedented second seven-year term in 2013.
The onetime communist helped to steer his country through a debt crisis in 2011.
In 2015, he stepped down citing his age.
In the early 1950s, he was elected to the Italian and European parliament. He also served as interior minister and speaker of the lower house of parliament.
