Former President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana has died of coronavirus- related complications at the age of 73 , according to multiple reports from Ghanaian media .
The development comes less than a month after he buried his mother.
Rawlings , who is one of the most respected African leaders , was a military leader in Ghana and later became a politician who ruled the country from 1981 to 2001.
The former President initially came to power in Ghana as a flight lieutenant of the Ghana Air Force following a coup d ’ état in 1979 .
Prior to that , he led an unsuccessful coup attempt against the ruling military government on 15 May 1979 , just five weeks before scheduled democratic elections were due to take place.
He was until his death , the African Union envoy to Somalia .
Rawlings as leader of Ghana launched a massive anti – corruption campaign that purged the nation of corrupt political elements .
A former Nigerian Presidential candidate and media mogul , Dele Momodu, who has close links to the Ghanaian Presidency , confirmed the development on
Twitter “ The saddest news of this year. My God . Former President Jerry John Rawlings of Ghana has passed on . I ’m completely devastated. Good night , an African hero . ”