Former German president Roman Herzog dies at 82

Roman Herzog, a former German president died on Tuesday aged 82, according to the president's office.

Herzog was a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union. He served as the chief justice of Germany's highest court before being elected to a five-year term as president in 1994, four years after reunification.

Germany's current president, Joachim Gauck, described Herzog as a "distinctive personality, who had helped shape Germany's self-image and the interactions in our society."

"Today we have lost a great constitutional scholar, politician and statesman," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a statement.

He described Herzog as "a straightforward, honest and smart person who was not afraid to speak difficult truths, but also never lost his profound sense of humour."