Tributes to Germany's ex-first lady

A policeman delivers flowers to the Kohl family home on Friday

BERLIN, Germany -- Germans mourning the death of the wife of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl left floral tributes at the family home on Friday.

A memorial service for Hannelore Kohl, whose body was found at the house in the western city of Ludwigshafen on Thursday after she committed suicide, will be held next Wednesday.

The 68-year-old is believed to have taken her life in despair after suffering from a rare allergy to light, which had forced her to stay inside during daytime for the past 15 months, according to Kohl's office.

Kohl, 71, was inside the bungalow-style house on Friday with the couple's two sons, emerging only briefly as his wife's casket was put in a hearse. Police who were sealing off the street delivered flowers handed over by local residents.

The memorial service will be held in the medieval cathedral at Speyer, Kohl's office manager, Juliane Weber, said on Friday. The burial will be private, she said.

The suicide has shocked Germany where it was front-page news on Friday.

VIDEO Tragic death of Germany's former first lady Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   AUDIO CNN's Chris Burns: "She had been suffering increasing amounts of pain." 834K / 77 sec AIFF or WAV sound   MORE STORIES Hannelore Kohl: Years of pain

Politicians in Germany and beyond paid tribute to her and recalled her charity work for accident victims as well as her devotion to her husband as he climbed the political ladder.

"Germany grieves for Hannelore Kohl," proclaimed the mass-circulation Bild daily.

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin expressed sympathy, saying the French "appreciated her charm, her intelligence and her knowledge of France."

Former UK Prime Minister John Major also sent condolences from him and his wife Norma.

Elegant and a committed family woman, Kohl's wife stood by his side during a 41-year marriage that saw him govern Germany for 16 years and reunite the nation in 1990 after the Berlin Wall fell.

When Kohl, now 71, lost power in 1998 and was engulfed by a party funding scandal the following year, his wife spoke up for him. "We survived World War II. We will also cope with this ... I stand by my man," she said.

She had suffered for years from a sunlight allergy that recently worsened, meaning she could leave home only after dark.

In May, her illness forced her to she miss the wedding of her son Peter to his Turkish fiancee in Istanbul, Turkey.

The former chancellor appeared briefly outside his home on Friday

Her allergy was triggered by a penicillin treatment in 1993. She acknowledged it was untreatable, and her condition worsened last year.

Kohl's office said she ended her life due to "the hopelessness of her health situation," leaving farewell letters for her 71-year-old husband and their two sons.

A statement said: "Due to the hopelessness of her health situation, she decided to end her life of her own free will.

"She conveyed this decision in farewell letters to her husband, her sons and friends."

Doctors in Germany and abroad failed to alleviate the extremely rare ailment, the statement said.