Kofi Annan passes away at 80

The first black African secretary general of the United Nations loses his battle with an unspecified illness.

Kofi Annan’s foundation announced his death in a tweet at the age of 80.

Annan spent virtually his entire career as an administrator in the UN, serving two terms as secretary-general from January 1997 to December 2006.

Annan and the U.N. were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.