"The Executive of the Republic of Angola informs national and international public opinion, with a feeling of great pain and consternation, of the death of His Excellency the former President of the Republic, Engineer José Eduardo dos Santos, which took place today at 11:10 am, (...) after prolonged illness", reads the statement.
The Angolan executive, who presents "deep feelings of regret" to the family, also appeals "to everyone's serenity in this moment of pain and consternation".
"The Executive of the Republic of Angola bows, with the greatest respect and consideration, to the figure of a statesman of great historical dimension, who governed for many years with clairvoyance and humanism the destinies of the Angolan Nation, in very difficult moments", adds the statement.
The former President of Angola had been in intensive care at a clinic in Barcelona for two weeks.
The 79-year-old former President had health problems for several years and has been accompanied in Barcelona since 2006.
José Eduardo dos Santos succeeded Agostinho Neto as President in 1979 and left office in 2017, serving one of the longest presidencies in the world, being regularly accused by international organizations of corruption and nepotism.
In 2017, he resigned from re-candidate and the current President, João Lourenço, succeeded him in office, having also been elected by the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which has governed the country since independence from Portugal in 1975.