Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who led the country for eight years at the height of the Cold War, died has died at the age of 96.
Mr Schmidt was West Germany's second centre-left Social Democrat (SPD) chancellor from 1974 to 1982 and a leading proponent of European integration.
He became chancellor at a time of crisis for West Germany, replacing Willy Brandt, who had been forced to resign when his close assistant Guenter Guillaume was uncovered as a Stasi agent spying for the East German intelligence agency.
At the same time, Mr Schmidt had to deal with the consequences of the 1973-74 oil crisis.
Conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed Mr Schmidt as "a political institution" and an authority "whose advice and judgement meant something to me".
Ms Merkel said Germans had developed a "deep affection" for him and were "impressed by his personal humility as well as his sense of duty".
Meanwhile, President Michael D Higgins paid tribute, saying “with the passing of Helmut Schmidt, Europe has lost one of its key architects”.
German media reported that Mr Schmidt caught an infection after having surgery to remove a blood clot from his leg about two months ago. He died today in his hometown of Hamburg.
In recent years, Mr Schmidt, a chain smoker, was a frequent talk show guest and won more respect among many Germans as an elder statesman than he did when he led the country.
