David Maria Sassoli (30 May 1956 – 11 January 2022) was an Italian politician and journalist. He was the President of the European Parliament from July 2019 until his death in January 2022. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He first became a member of the European Parliament in July 2009. Before entering politics, he worked for newspaper Il Giorno and as a news reporter for TG3 and TG1.
Sassoli was born in Florence. He was married to Alessandra Vittorini, and had two children. He was a fan of football club Fiorentina.
In September 2021, Sassoli was taken to a hospital in Strasbourg, Germany, for pneumonia. In December 2021, he was again taken to a hospital, this time in Aviano because of problems with his immune system. Sassoli died there on 11 January 2022 from problems caused by multiple myeloma, aged 65.