Former ECB chief Wim Duisenberg dies

July 31, 2005

Wim Duisenberg, the former head of the European Central Bank, has been found dead in his swimming pool at his house in south-east France, the French police say. No details were given about the cause of 70-year-old Mr Duisenberg's death.

However this was disputed by his wife, Gretta Duisenberg. She says she found her husband just outside the study in their villa and not in their swimming pool.

The former Dutch finance minister was the ECB's first president, and oversaw the introduction of the single European currency, the euro.