The former mayor of Lens, Guy Delcourt, has died

Socialist Guy Delcourt, former deputy for Pas-de-Calais and honorary mayor of the city of Lens, died on Friday morning at the age of 72, we learned in a press release sent by his entourage.

“He left us peaceful, surrounded by his family, in the palliative care unit of the Bonnettes hospital in Arras. The date of his funeral will be announced later, ”said the same source.

Tributes from all sides

For him who was a great socialist figure in the mining basin, tributes poured in from all sides. "It is with great sadness that I have just learned of the death of Guy Delcourt, a comrade, a friend," reacted the president of the Pas-de-Calais department, Jean-Claude Leroy (PS).

"Pas-de-Calais loses one of its great servants, a hard worker who had a great knowledge of the files, a real passion for his territory, a very particular affection for his dear city of Lens", he said. added.

I am deeply saddened by the death of my friend Guy Delcourt. He was the renaissance man of #Lens, a city to which he gave everything. Guy was a man of deep humanity and of great value. He will be missed by all who have had the chance to know him.

In a tweet, the PS mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, said she was "deeply saddened". "He was the renaissance man of Lens, a city to which he gave everything," she wrote, referring to "a man of deep humanity and great worth." For his part, the socialist senator Patrick Kanner tweeted: "A great activist is leaving us".

It is with regret that the Racing Club de Lens has just learned of the death of the former Mayor of Lens, Mr. Guy Delcourt. The blood and gold family has a touching thought for him and associates with the grief of his loved ones. #rclens pic.twitter.com/3dhrLPBYbM

"The blood and gold family has a moved thought for him and associates with the grief of his loved ones", also reacted on Twitter the Racing club de Lens (RCL), the local football team for which Guy Delcourt vowed true passion.

Without mandate but still very involved in political life

Last October, the socialist had granted an interview to 20 Minutes to discuss the municipal elections in his city of Lens. Always very involved in political life, Guy Delcourt had confided to us his fears: "The risk that the RN wins Lens has never been so great and the PS is no stranger to that," he lamented.

Guy Delcourt had been elected mayor of Lens in 1998. In 2013, then aged 66, he finally passed the baton to his assistant, Sylvain Robert. However, he insisted on carrying out his mandate as a deputy until 2017.

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