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Klagenfurt, Austria - Austrian politician Joerg Haider, whose far-right rhetoric at times sounded sympathetic to the Nazis and contemptuous of Jews — and at one point led to months of international isolation for the Alpine republic — died early Saturday in a car accident. He was 58.

Haider was pronounced dead in a hospital shortly after his Volkswagen Phaeton veered off the road in southern Austria and overturned several times after he successfully passed another car, police said. Authorities said an initial investigation showed no signs of foul play.

At the time of his death, Haider was governor of the province of Carinthia and leader of the Alliance for the Future of Austria — a party he formed after breaking away from the far right Freedom Party in 2005.

"For us, it's like the end of the world," said Haider's spokesman and the alliance's secretary-general, Stefan Petzner.

In 1999, Haider received 27 percent of the vote in national elections as leader of the Freedom Party, which ran an anti-immigrant campaign critical of European Union goals of opening membership to Eastern European countries.

Though Haider denied accusations he was pro-Nazi, the party's inclusion in the coalition government led to months of EU sanctions over his statements, which were seen as anti-Semitic or sympathetic to Adolf Hitler's labor policies.

Austria's relations with Israel also deteriorated when the party joined the federal government and Israel pulled its ambassador from Vienna.

Despite his reputation as a firebrand, Haider had significantly toned down his rhetoric in recent years. He and his supporters had left the Freedom Party in 2005 to form the relatively moderate Alliance for the Future of Austria.

Haider had sought to distance himself from his rightist past, which included a comment in 1991 that the Third Reich under Hitler had a "proper employment policy." Nazi Germany had enslaved Jews and foreigners for its wartime economy. Haider was forced to sep down as governor of Carinthia after that comment. He was reelected as governor in 1999.

Haider, who was born Jan. 26, 1950 in Upper Austria, enjoyed tremendous popularity in the province of Carinthia. He was known by opponents and supporters alike as intelligent and politically savvy.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer described Haider's death as a "human tragedy."

Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the Freedom Party, said Haider introduced a completely new political style in the 1990s and contributed to making Austrian more democratic.

Haider is survived by his wife, two daughters and his mother, whose 90th birthday he and his family had planned to celebrate over the weekend.