Former German President Rau dies at 75

Johannes Rau, German Federal President 1999 through 2004, died this morning at the age of 75. He had been suffering from a heart condition and had had several operations after the end of his term on 1 July 2004. Rau was Prime Minister of Northrhine-Westfalia from 1978 until his election to German Federal President in 1999.
He certainly was a personality, an elder statesman par exellence who represented Germany well abroad and was well-liked at home. They don't make them like that any more.

An ex-colleague of mine met him at a posh "do" in Berlin; he waved away the glasses of Sekt and asked the waitress to bring him a beer which he lashed into.

Another friend of mine used to write speaches for him when he was Minister-Präsident in NRW.

Seemed a decent enough bloke for a Social Democrat.

RIP Genosse Johannes.
Edit: Topics merged my moderator, just forgot to mention it earlier, sorry.

What a pity!

He was a good man...
Rau dies

too slow

I was at a 'do' once at Schloss Bellvue where he gave a little talk. Can't say I actually met him as such but he seemed decent enough

I met him. He was a nice man.

ignore my 'too slow' comment now the threads have been merged

I wondered why flags were at half mast as I came through town just now.

Flags are at half mast as it's holocaust-memorial day (set up by the UNO last year) - on 27th January 1945 the concentration camp of Auschwitz was liberated ... at least that's what they said in the radio this morning.

However, flags will be at half mast in NRW on Sat and Sun to commemorate J. Rau. (according to Spiegel.de that is)