FILE - European Parliament President David Sassoli delivers a speech during the Award of the Sakharov Prize ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France on Dec. 15, 2021. David Sassoli, the Italian journalist who worked his way up in politics and became president of the European Union's parliament, died at a hospital in Italy early Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, his spokesperson said. (Julien Warnand/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Obit David Sassoli
BRUSSELS (AP) — David Sassoli, the Italian journalist who worked his way up in politics and became president of the European Union’s parliament, has died at a hospital in Italy. He was 65.
His spokesperson announced his death in a tweet. He did not provide any details, but said in a statement a day earlier that Sassoli, a socialist, had been hospitalized since Dec. 26 due to abnormal functioning of his immune system.
Sassoli had been struggling for months with poor health yet stayed on the job, where his vigor and easy smile were a trademark. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 2009. He won another term in 2014 and became its president in 2019.
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