Gaston Thorn

Former Luxembourg Prime Minister and ex-president of the European Commission Gaston Thorn died Sunday, a government official said Sunday. He was 78. No cause of death was immediately provided, but Luxembourg media reported he had suffered from a long illness. It was also not clear whether he had died at home or at a hospital, according to a spokeswoman for Luxembourg's government press service who spoke on condition of anonymity because a statement had yet to be released. The longtime politician and businessman, who led the government in the tiny Duchy of Luxembourg between 1974-1979, was known as a strong advocate of European integration. Luxembourg's current Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker praised Thorn, calling him a "great man ... for his service to his country and Europe," his office said in a statement. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon hailed "the memory of a major player in the construction of Europe." "Gaston Thorn dedicated his career to his humanist European ideal," Fillon said in a statement. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also offered his condolences on behalf of the EU. "Gaston Thorn was a great European, aware that European cooperation was the only way to confront the problems of his era," Barroso said in a statement. "His work as president of the Commission consolidated the base of the European project and led to further integration." Thorn took part in the resistance against Nazi occupation during World War II and spent several months in prison for his opposition to Adolf Hitler's invasion of his country, shaping his views promoting European unity as a way to prevent future conflict on the continent. After the war, Thorn studied law in France before entering politics in Luxembourg. He steadily rose through Liberal Democrat party ranks and was appointed deputy mayor of Luxembourg city before entering his nation's national parliament. He was appointed to chair the Commission of the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the now 27-nation EU, between 1981-1985 after which he returned to business life. His European Commission term has been credited for laying the groundwork for the entry of Greece, Spain and Portugal and in pushing member states to adopt a single market for goods, trade and services amid tough economic times during the early 1980s. Thorn was well known on the international stage and held the post of president of the U.N. General Assembly from 1975-1976. Thorn also served as foreign minister before being elected prime minister of his small country, nestled between Belgium, Germany and France. Thorn, who was born in Luxembourg city, Sept. 3, 1928, is survived by his wife, Liliane Thorn-Petit.