Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Johannes Rau ( 16 January 1931 , Wuppertal â `` 27 January 2006 , Berlin ) was a German politician of the SPD .
Simplified: Johannes Rau ( 16 January 1931 -- 27 January 2006 ) was a German politician of the SPD .