ROME (Reuters) – Italy hosted a state funeral for President of the European Parliament David Sasoli on Friday. Family and friends were able to join Italian and European Union officials for a service at a Rome basilica.

Alessandra Vitorini, Sassoli’s wife, said, “I have had a great life. An extremely good life. Even if it was a little complicated. And to stop it at 65 would be really premature.” This quote came shortly before Sassoli died.

Friends claimed that he was a recipient of a bone-marrow transplant 10 year ago. He also suffered from new immune system problems in the latter part of last year. He died https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-parliament-president-sassoli-has-died-spokesperson-2022-01-11 in a cancer clinic in northeastern Italy on Tuesday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez were among the mourners on Friday.

Sassoli’s coffin was covered in the European flag when it entered the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. The guard of honour was provided by the Italian military.

He wanted an Europe united with core values and served as a catalyst for the institution’s success. “Not ideologies and ideals, nor calculations but visions,” Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi said during his homily at Sassoli’s funeral.

He said, “We all have in our hearts David’s almost shy smile,”

Sassoli began his life as a TV journalist. In 2009, he switched to politics and won election in the European Parliament representing the center-left Democratic Party. Since July 2019, he had served as president of the EU assembly’s 705 seats. His term was due to expire in this month.