Editing Helmut Schmidt (section)

== Personal life ==
Schmidt admired the philosopher [[Karl Popper]], and contributed a foreword to the 1982 ''[[Festschrift]]'' in Popper's honour.<ref>Helmut Schmidt, "The Way of Freedom", in ''In Pursuit of Truth: Essays on the Philosophy of Karl Popper, On the Occasion of his 80th Birthday'', ed. [[Paul Levinson]], Humanities Press, 1982, pp. xi–xii.</ref>

Schmidt was a talented pianist, and recorded piano concertos of both [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] and [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]] with German pianist and conductor [[Christoph Eschenbach]]. Schmidt recorded Mozart's [[Piano Concerto No. 7 (Mozart)|piano concerto for three pianos]], K. 242, with the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]] directed by Eschenbach in 1982 with pianists Eschenbach and [[Justus Frantz]] for EMI Records (CDC 7 47473 2). In that recording, according to the CDs [[liner notes]], Schmidt played the part written for Countess Antonia Lodron's youngest daughter Giuseppina, "almost a beginner" who commissioned the work. The part brilliantly "enables any reasonably practiced amateur to participate in a performance". The same musical notes also indicate that Schmidt and Frantz had played duets during Frantz's student days. In 1990 Schmidt joined Eschenbach, Frantz, [[Gerhard Oppitz]] and the [[Philharmoniker Hamburg|Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra]] in [[Deutsche Grammophon]]'s recording of Bach's [[Keyboard concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach#Concerto in A minor for four harpsichords.2C BWV 1065|Concerto in A minor for four harpsichords]], BWV 1065.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Badische Zeitung]] |date=2008-12-10 |author=Alexander Dick |title=Der Klavier-Kanzler |url=http://www.badische-zeitung.de/panorama/der-klavier-kanzler--8963225.html |language=de}}</ref>

[[File:MSC 2014 Schmidt Mueller MSC2014.jpg|thumb|left|Schmidt smoking]]
All his adult life, Schmidt was a heavy smoker. He was well known for lighting up during TV interviews and talk shows. On 13 October 1981, Schmidt was fitted with a [[artificial pacemaker|cardiac pacemaker]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dann rumpelt es in der Brust ...|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-14338700.html |access-date=2015-11-10 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |issue=43/1981 |date=1981-10-19 |language=de}}</ref> On 24 August 2002, he suffered a heart attack and subsequently underwent [[Coronary artery bypass surgery|bypass surgery]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Altkanzler Schmidt erholt sich von Bypass-Operation |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/herzinfarkt-altkanzler-schmidt-erholt-sich-von-bypass-operation-a-211176.html |access-date=2023-09-08 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=2002-08-27 |language=de}}</ref><ref name="CNN.com 2002 j508">{{cite web |title=Helmut Schmidt has heart attack August 27, 2002 |website=CNN.com |date=2002-08-27 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/27/germany.schmidt/index.html |access-date=2023-08-26 |archive-date=22 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822183512/https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/27/germany.schmidt/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 25 January 2008, German police launched an inquiry after an anti-smoking initiative charged that Schmidt was defying the recently introduced [[smoking ban]]. The initiative claimed that Schmidt had been flagrantly ignoring anti-smoking laws. Despite pictures in the press, the case was subsequently dropped after the public prosecutor's office ruled that Schmidt's actions had not been a threat to public health.<ref>''[[Der Spiegel]]'': [http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/leute/0,1518,530882,00.html "Strafanzeige: Altkanzler Schmidt raucht trotz Verbots – Staatsanwalt ermittelt"] (han) 25 January 2008; [http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/gesellschaft/nichtraucher-debatte-altkanzler-schmidt-liess-die-zigaretten-stecken-a-531306.html "Nichtraucher-Debatte: Altkanzler Schmidt ließ die Zigaretten stecken"] (flo/dpa) 27 January 2008; [http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/ich-bin-doch-nicht-verrueckt-helmut-schmidt-bleibt-raucher-a-535051.html "'Ich bin doch nicht verrückt': Helmut Schmidt bleibt Raucher"] (pad/AP), 13 February 2008 {{in lang|de}}</ref>

On 6 April 2010, with a lifespan of 33,342 days, he surpassed [[Konrad Adenauer]] in terms of longevity, and at the time of his death was the oldest former chancellor in German history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-oldest-former-chancellor-helmut-schmidt-turns-90/a-3889487 |title=Germany′s Oldest Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Turns 90 |date=2008-12-22 |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |access-date=2015-11-10}}</ref>

His wife of 68 years, [[Loki Schmidt]], died on 21 October 2010, aged 91.<ref>[https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/specials/loki-schmidt/article10709802/Loki-Schmidt-auf-Parkfriedhof-Ohlsdorf-beigesetzt.html ''Loki Schmidt auf Parkfriedhof Ohlsdorf beigesetzt''] ''[[Die Welt]]''; 3. November 2010</ref>

At the beginning of August 2012, Schmidt gave an interview on German television and revealed that at 93 years of age, he had fallen in love again. His new life partner was his associate of over 57 years, Ruth Loah (27 September 1933 – 23 February 2017).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120804-44159.html|title=Ex-Chancellor Schmidt, 93, in love again |access-date=2015-11-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806003809/http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120804-44159.html |archive-date=2012-08-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/altkanzler-bekennt-sich-mit-93-zu-ruth-loah-helmut-schmidts-neue-sieht-loki-zum-verwechseln-aehnlich_aid_792532.html |title=Altkanzler bekennt sich mit 93 zu Ruth Loah: Helmut Schmidts Neue sieht Loki zum Verwechseln ähnlich |author=FOCUS Online |date=2012-08-04|work=[[Focus (German magazine)|Focus]]|access-date=2015-11-10}}</ref>