On June 29, 2008, President Mwanawasa left Zambia to attend the African Union Heads of State and Government summit in Egypt. When he returned to Zambia, he was in a coffin. That’s because on June 30, the eve of the summit meeting in Egypt, Mwanawasa was reported to have suffered a major stroke that left him in a critical condition. He was subsequently flown to Percy Military Hospital in Paris, France for treatment where he stayed for almost two months. Unfortunately, the president died on August 19, 2008, at a tender age of 59. The complications that were caused by the stroke were the major reasons for his death. It was the first time in the history of Zambia for a president to die in office.