“Axel Kahn, a man who has lived through life with commitment and courage”
Axel Kahn died of cancer at the age of 76, the League Against Cancer announced Tuesday (July 6). The geneticist and essayist had been its president since July 2019, before stepping down on the 1er June due to the worsening of his illness.
It is with sadness and emotion that the League against cancer has just learned of the death of Axel Kahn.
– the League against cancer (@laliguecancer) July 6, 2021
The National Cancer Institute (INC) – of which Axel Kahn also held the position of vice-president – reacted in a statement to the disappearance of the geneticist through the voice of its president, Professor Norbert Ifrah.
→ PORTRAIT. Axel Kahn, death of a “reasonable and human” man
” Today we are losing a deeply human and humanist being (…) This loss is also considerable for the fight against cancer; one of the many fields in which he has invested himself relentlessly, with an admirable height of vision and courage ”, he regrets.
The political class reacts unanimously
Tributes to Axel Kahn have also multiplied from political figures of all stripes. All salute the man of science and the humanist commitment that animated him.
“To pay homage to man is first of all to embrace his struggles, to salute this life which had the value of an example and to make our commitments our own”, reacted Prime Minister Jean Castex on Twitter.
To pay homage to man is first of all to embrace his struggles, to salute this life which had the value of an example and to make our commitments our own.
My thoughts are with his family, his loved ones and all those who had the honor of sharing a moment of life with him. https://t.co/XMOBtj80d4– Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) July 6, 2021
→ MAINTENANCE. Axel Kahn: “I have been obsessed, my whole life, by the notion of duty”
Martine Aubry, socialist mayor of Lille, – supported by Axel Kahn during the socialist primary in 2011 – shared on Twitter his “Infinite sadness at the news of the death of Axel Kahn, a man who has lived through life with commitment and courage, an immense researcher enlightened by his humanism”. Then add: “I am losing a great friend whose presence, vision and loving guidance will be missed. “
Infinite sadness at the news of the death of Axel Kahn, a man who has lived through life with commitment and courage, an immense researcher enlightened by his humanism. I am losing a great friend whose presence, vision and loving guidance will be missed.
– Martine Aubry (@MartineAubry) July 6, 2021
The president (Libres!) Of the Île-de-France region Valérie Pécresse also paid tribute to the geneticist: “To Axel Kahn, a deeply free and committed spirit, who guided generations of researchers and students in search of meaning. On the eve of his death, he gave us yet another beautiful lesson in courage and serenity. I am sad this morning. “
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