Václav Havel dies at 75

Václav Havel, the first post-Communist president of both Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, an iconic figure known worldwide as a promoter of human rights, died on Sunday morning, likely due to complications from a recent bout of his chronic respiratory illness. Havel, who turned 75 in October, had been in a fragile state since checking in to the Central Military Hospital in Prague in early March. His wife, actress Dagmar Havlová, and a nun were at his bedside when he died, Czech public television reported.