Hassan died at about 8 a.m. at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment, Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi announced.
“With great sadness, I inform you of the death of Mr Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan,” Ndejembi said.
He offered condolences to President Samia, her family, relatives and friends, as well as Tanzanians, adding that funeral arrangements had begun in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar.
Tributes followed from across the region, including from Kenyan President William Ruto, who said he received the news with “great sorrow.”
Ruto described Hassan’s death as a personal loss for the Tanzanian president and their family.
“President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son,” he said.
“Kenya stands with our Tanzanian brothers and sisters in this moment of grief,” Ruto added, wishing President Samia and her family strength and comfort during the difficult period.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention also expressed condolences to the Tanzanian president and her family.
Hassan, a Tanzanian agriculturalist, became Tanzania’s First Gentleman after his wife assumed the presidency in 2021. The couple married in 1978 and had four children, three sons and a daughter.
Their daughter, Mwanu Hafidh Ameir, is a politician serving in the Zanzibar House of Representatives.
Hassan maintained a relatively low public profile throughout his wife’s political career and was rarely seen alongside her at public events.
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