Former German president Horst Kohler dies aged 81

Horst Kohler was a former German president (Keystone via AP, File)

Horst Kohler, a former head of the International Monetary Fund who became a popular German president before stunning the country by resigning abruptly in a flap over comments about the country’s military, has died aged 81.

Mr Kohler, who was head of state from 2004 to 2010, died on Saturday morning in Berlin after a short illness, surrounded by his family, the office of current German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement.