Aiwanger had been feeling unwell earlier on Wednesday and canceled a scheduled speech at the opening of his party's Berlin office, citing health reasons, according to German media reports. His body was discovered at the "Neuer Fritz" Hotel on Friedrichstrasse in the city's Mitte district.
Prosecutors and police have launched an investigation. On Wednesday evening, investigators said the goal is to "determine the specific cause of death and the circumstances surrounding it, as well as to rule out any possible foul play."
Bavarian state premier Markus Söder of the Christian Social Union said he was "deeply shocked" by the news. "The sudden death of Hubert Aiwanger is an absolute tragedy," Söder wrote on X. "Our thoughts are now first and foremost with his family and his children. We mourn with them and pray for them."
Aiwanger was elected to the Bavarian state parliament with the Free Voters in 2008 and became their parliamentary group leader. He was the face of the Free Voters in Bavaria and across Germany. His party formed a coalition with the CSU in 2018, and Aiwanger held the roles of economy minister and deputy premier. Known for a combative approach, he could not replicate his state-level success nationally; the Free Voters never won enough seats to enter the Bundestag. Weeks before state elections in 2023, Aiwanger became embroiled in a national scandal when Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that he had written an antisemitic leaflet during high school in the 1980s.
He is survived by two children. He was not married but lived with Tanja Schweiger, a district administrator for the Free Voters.