Overview
- Seeber’s daughter confirmed to Der Spiegel that he died in hospital the evening before his 88th birthday.
- Seeber trained as a Bundeswehr paratrooper from 1957 and left the service in 1960 before joining Kohl’s team; he served officially as Kohl’s driver from 1969 until 2008.
- He was a close, trusted presence who accompanied Kohl on state visits and private trips, with household anecdotes ranging from shared moments with foreign leaders to daily life on Kohl’s schedule.
- Seeber and his wife Hilde were long-time household staff; Hilde managed the Kohl household and is reported to have found Hannelore Kohl after her 2001 suicide.
- Seeber said he helped Kohl after a severe 2008 fall but was then told of his dismissal by Kohl’s household, and current obituaries focus on his decades of service and the later estrangement with no funeral details yet released.