The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dlamini Zuma, on Tuesday expressed shock over the death of Prof. Ali Mazrui.

In a statement in Addis Ababa, on Tuesday, Zuma said: “It was with deep shock and sadness that I heard news of the passing on of our Pan-African icon, Prof. Ali Al’amin Mazrui, on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, in the United States of America.

“Prof. Mazrui was a distinguished scholar, writer and Pan-Africanist par excellence. His indomitable spirit will inspire us for many years to come and many more generations.“

Zuma said Mazrui’s demise was a great loss to his family, country, the African continent and humanity.

“On behalf of the African Union Commission and the Union, I wish to express my sincere condolences to his family, his country, friends and family of this great Pan- Africanist. May his soul rest in peace,“ she said.

The Kenyan President, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, had announced that Mazrui, 81, died on Sunday in the U.S. after months of illness

Mazrui, a political writer on African and Islamic Studies and North-South relations, was born in Mombasa, Kenya, on Feb. 24, 1933.