Death of Jacques Delors: Emmanuel Macron hails a'statesman with a French destiny' President Emmanuel. Macron paid tribute on Wednesday to Jacques. Delors, former president of the European Commission, who has died at the. age of 98. The head of state praised his "total commitment, his ideals and his righteousness". He hailed Delors as an "inexhaustible craftsman of our Europe" and a "fighter for human justice" The former European Commission President died earlier in the day.