The former Zimbabwe president passed away in Singapore surrounded by his family including wife Grace, current president Emmerson Mnangagwa tweeted this morning.
It is believed he had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness since April.
Current president Mnangagwa had said in November that Mugabe was unable to walk due to ill-health.
Mugabe had led Zimbabwe since 1980 before being ousted from power after a military coup in 2017.
Nearly four decades after the country’s independence from Britain in 1980, he was regarded by many as a tyrant, willing to unleash death squads, rig elections and trash the economy in the relentless pursuit of power.
Confirming the news this morning, his successor President Mnangagwa tweeted: “It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe.
“Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
Lawyer Fadzayi Mahere tweeted: “Rest In Peace, Robert Mugabe. My response to your passing is complicated. I’m going to write a long piece. However, for now, deepest condolences to his family.”
FINAL DAYS
Photographs of Mugabe in June are believed to be some of the last taken of him, showing the former dictator appearing slumped and frail with a white beard.
In another picture, that shows him wearing a black Adidas tracksuit, he can be seen in a wheelchair sitting next to his son Robert.
But as news broke of the tyrant’s death, social media users flocked online to give their views.
One wrote: “Rot in hell, Mugabe.
Another added: “There’s no reason to mourn Mugabe, that d**k head is the reason why Zimbabwean people are suffering.”
And a third tweeted: “I wonder how the initial greetings between Mugabe and Satan will go?”