Overview
- His daughter confirmed that Seeber died in hospital on the evening before his 88th birthday, a detail first reported by multiple German outlets.
- Seeber served as Kohl's full‑time driver for roughly four decades, officially from about 1969 to 2008, and is reported to have driven more than five million kilometres for him.
- He began his career as a Bundeswehr‑trained parachutist and first met Kohl in 1962, after which he became a near‑constant companion on domestic and international trips.
- Through his role Seeber witnessed high‑profile moments such as encounters with Boris Yeltsin and visits to the White House and he and his wife Hilde were closely involved in Kohl's private household, including the 2001 discovery of Hannelore Kohl's death by Hilde.
- Obituaries emphasize his loyalty, the abrupt end to his access after Kohl's 2008 fall when he was asked to hand in keys, and the way his story illustrates how long‑serving aides can be both intimate witnesses to power and vulnerable to sudden changes in a leader's household.