Former German leader Roman Herzog dies

Former German President Roman Herzog has died at the age of 82.

The announcement was made by current president, Joachim Gauck, on Tuesday.

Gauck paid tribute to Herzog, whom he described as "a distinctive personality."

Herzog was born in 1934 and started his career as professor of constitutional law at the Free University of Berlin.

After serving as MP and minister of Culture, he served as Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court.

He won the election in 1994 and served as president until 1999.

The former president was one of the country's first leaders to press for economic reforms at a time when Germany was struggling with double-digit unemployment and growing economic stagnation.