Manfred Rommel

The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Manfred Rommel, the longtime mayor of Stuttgart and only son of Germany's most famous World War II military commander, has died. He was 84.

The City of Stuttgart said Rommel, who served as mayor from 1975 to 1996, died Thursday of unspecified causes.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Friday she considered him a "remarkable" politician and notable member of her party.

Rommel was born in 1928 to Lucie-Maria Rommel and Erwin Rommel, who eventually rose to Field Marshall rank and was widely known as the "Desert Fox" for his deft command of Nazi Germany's troops in North Africa.

Field Marshall Rommel, who was respected by both his own troops and his enemies, committed suicide when Manfred was 15 after being implicated in the plot to kill Adolf Hitler.