EUROPEAN Parliament President David Sassoli died at age 65 at a hospital in Italy early yesterday, his spokesperson has said.

“David Sassoli passed away at 1:15 a.m. Jan. 11 at the CRO in Aviano, Italy, where he was hospitalized. The date and place of the funeral will be communicated in the next few hours,” spokesperson Roberto Cuillo tweeted.

Sassoli, born May 30, 1956, in Florence, Italy, had been hospitalized for more than two weeks due to a serious complication relating to immune system dysfunction.

On Monday, his office announced the cancellation of all his official activities.

He began his career as a journalist at local newspapers and news agencies, before moving to the editorial office of the daily Il Giorno in Rome, and then became a television news reporter.

Sassoli was elected to the European Parliament in 2009. He became president of the European Parliament in 2019 and his term of office would have expired in days. (Xinhua)