Ex-French President, Jacques Chirac, is dead. Chirac died this morning at the age of 86.
“President Jacques Chirac died this morning surrounded by his family, peacefully,” his son-in-law told the French news agency AFP.
A two-term President, Chirac took his country into the single European currency.
In 2011, he was convicted of diverting public funds while serving as the mayor of Paris.
Though his later years were blighted by corruption scandals, has The French National Assembly still observed a minute’s silence in his memory.
Reactions that have followed Chirac’s death include that of Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission and former Luxembourg premier.
Juncker described Chirac’s death as devastating, adding that he was “moved and devastated” to learn the news.
“Europe is not only losing a great statesman, but the president is losing a great friend,” Mr. Junker said in a statement.
Born in 1932, the son of a bank manager, Chirac served as head of state from 1995 to 2007, making him France’s second longest-serving post-war president after his Socialist predecessor Francois Mitterrand. His health steadily deteriorated after he stepped down until his death on Thursday.
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