INTERNATIONAL diplomat Kofi Annan has died at the age of 80.
His foundation has this morning issued a statement confirming that the former UN secretary general passed away peacefully after a short illness.
Mr Annan was one of the world's most celebrated diplomats and a charismatic symbol of the United Nations who rose through its ranks to become the first black African secretary-general.
He spent virtually his entire career as an administrator in the UN.
He served two terms as secretary-general from January 1997 to December 2006, capped nearly midway when he and the UN were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.
During his tenure, he presided over some of the worst failures and scandals at the world body, one of its most turbulent periods since its founding in 1945.
In a tweet, his foundation said wife Nane and their three children were at his side during his final days.
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