(CNN) -- One of the heroes of the French Resistance against Nazi occupation, Raymond Aubrac, has died in Paris at the age of 97. With his passing, France has lost one of its few remaining links to an era that brought both humiliation and inspiration. French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute to Aubrac Wednesday. "These heroes of the shadows who saved France's honor at a time when it seemed lost are disappearing one after the other," he said. Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also spoke admiringly of Aubrac. "His commitment, his courage, his refusal to give up, his attachment to the pride of France," Juppe said, "made him a hero of the Resistance -- notably alongside his wife, Lucie Aubrac."
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Raymond Aubrac was a hero in the French Resistance against Nazi Germany
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The 97-year-old and wife Lucie, who died 5 years ago, were instrumental in the historic group
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Aubrac was a Jew of Polish descent; he twice escaped Nazi capture
She said that many like-minded people fled to the unoccupied part of @placeholder and used the relative freedom they had there to organize.