Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria's deputy premier and economy minister and leader of the Free Voters party, was found dead in a Berlin hotel room on Wednesday, 4 November, aged 55.

Aiwanger had travelled to Berlin for the opening of his party's new capital office but cancelled his appearance after feeling unwell, the Bild newspaper reported. After he did not answer his phone, hotel staff opened his room at the Hotel Neuer Fritz in Berlin's Mitte district, near Friedrichstrasse station, where he was found dead. The Berlin public prosecutor's office confirmed his death on Wednesday evening.

Investigation under way

Berlin police and prosecutors opened an investigation to establish the cause and circumstances of his death and to rule out any third-party involvement. Forensic teams worked at the hotel, and an autopsy was expected to be ordered.

On Thursday, 5 November, German authorities said no external causes were involved in his sudden death, Reuters reported. The prosecutors' office said forensic examinations would continue and did not specify the cause of death.

Reaction

Bavarian Premier Markus Söder said in a statement published on the state government website: "The sudden death of Hubert Aiwanger is a terrible tragedy. We are all deeply shocked."

Aiwanger led the Free Voters, a small conservative party, and served as Bavaria's deputy minister-president and economics minister. No official cause of death has been given, and early media reports describing a natural cause as the current assumption are not an official determination.

Sources: Reuters via Froggy Web, German police investigate death of Bavaria deputy premier, found in hotel room, 4 November 2026; SRN News (Reuters), No foul play in death of Bavaria deputy premier, prosecutors say, 5 November 2026; The Berlin Spectator, Hubert Aiwanger Found Dead in Berlin Hotel Room, 5 November 2026.