2019 saw the passing of some notable Africans who one way or the other made a huge influence in their respective countries.
In Ghana, for instance, Tiger Eye journalist Ahmed Suale's death shook the nation, the death of Robert Mugabe was also a huge loss to the African Continent.
Prime News takes a look at 10 notable African deaths in 2019.
READ ALSO: Murdered journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale buried
1. Ahmed Hussein-Suale, Ghanaian investigative journalist, 31:
Shot dead near his family home in capital, Accra, he was a member of Tiger Eye Private Investigations and had investigated corruption in Ghana's football leagues. Police believe he was killed because of his work.
2. Papy Faty, Burundian footballer, 28:
Suffering from a long-standing heart condition, he collapsed during a match in Eswatini. He made his international debut in June 2008, scoring three goals in 28 appearances for The Swallows.
3. Reginald Mengi, Tanzanian media mogul, 75:
Through his manufacturing, mining and media conglomerate IPP Group, he owned newspapers and radio and TV stations. In 2014, Forbes estimated his wealth at $560m (£430m). The origins of his business empire were in a ball-point pen assembly plant.
4. Fred Brownell, designer of South Africa's national flag, 79:
His multi-coloured flag symbolised South Africa's post-apartheid rebirth - showing the convergence of different cultures into one nation. "You gave us our identity as the nation," Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said in his tribute. Brownell also designed Namibia's flag. Read more about how South Africa's flag came into being
 5. Mohammed Morsi, ex-president of Egypt, 67:
The country's first democratically elected leader, he was ousted by the military in 2013 after one year in office. A top figure in the now-banned Islamist movement Muslim Brotherhood, he was on trial for espionage when he collapsed in a courtroom and died.
6. Marc Batchelor, South African former footballer, 49
The former striker, who once played for top South African clubs the Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, was shot dead outside his Johannesburg home. He was a colourful and controversial individual.
7. Kacaman (real name Darcy Irakoze), Burundian YouTube star, six:
He found fame with his comedy sketches and had performed with some of Burundi's top comedians. The primary school pupil died of malaria a day after being diagnosed with the disease - which is one of main killers of children in Africa.
8. DJ Arafat (real name Ange Didier Huon), Ivorian singer, 33:
Referred to as the king of coupé-décalé dance music, one of his biggest hit songs, Dosabado, has more than eight million views on YouTube. He died after a motorbike accident and had come to symbolise the flashy well-dressed lifestyle associated with the music, which features fast percussion, deep bass and hip-hop-style vocals.
9. Sir Dawda Jawara, The Gambia's first democratic leader, 95:
The vet-turned-politician led his country to independence from the UK in 1965 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth a year later. He was in power until a coup in 1994. He lived in exile in the UK for several years, before returning home to live out his retirement. Asked by the BBC in 1988 if he made a better vet or president, he said: "That's a debatable point."
10. Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, 95:
The man who ended white-minority rule in Zimbabwe died in a hospital in Singapore. He had been ousted in a military coup in 2017 after 37 years in power. For some he remained a revolutionary hero who stood up to Western imperialism, but others criticised his violent repression of political opponents and overseeing Zimbabwe's economic ruin.
11. Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, ex-president of Tunisia, 83:
READ ALSO: Profile of Robert Mugabe
He was ousted in 2011, in the first of the Arab Spring protests, after 23 years in power - going into exile in Saudi Arabia, where he died. Credited with delivering stability and a measure of economic prosperity, he failed to deal with youth unemployment and received widespread criticism for suppressing political freedoms.