He held the ceremonial post of German president after a finance-focused career. Shortly into his second term, he became the first German president in four decades to resign.

Horst Koehler, former German president from 2004 to 2010 and a respected global policymaker with a particular interest in Africa, died on Saturday after a short illness at the age of 81, the federal presidential office said in a statement.

State secretary, International Monetary Fund head, President of Germany: Horst Köhler's career reads like something out of a novel. Africa was a big focus of his work. Now he has died at the age of 81.

Once little-known among his fellow Germans, Mr Kohler became a popular head of state, often positioning himself as an outsider to the political elite.