Former Italian president Francesco Cossiga died at a Rome hospital on Tuesday at the age of 82. Cossiga, head of state from 1985 until 1992, had been in critical condition since being rushed to hospital with respiratory problems last Monday. A heart circulation crisis was one of the causes of death, doctors at Rome’s Gemelli hospital said after his condition suffered "a sudden and drastic deterioration" during the night.

On the day of his hospitalisation it was reported that Cossiga, a devout Catholic, was given extreme unction, also known as the last rites, which is administered to the dying or seriously ill. The Italian press, citing sources close to the former president, later reported that Cossiga in recent weeks had apparently been suffering from depression and had "let himself go". His condition had improved slightly towards the end of last week so that he was depending less on his life-support system. On Friday doctors began an initial "cautious" reduction in his sedative medication before Tuesday’s setback ended hopes of saving him. Cossiga, who was also a former premier and interior minister, automatically became a life senator after serving as president. He had been in poor health in recent years. Ten years ago he had a hip replacement and a tumour removed from his colon and he had suffered several bouts of depression in recent years.