STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW:Vice President Guy Scott will take over until elections, Cabinet secretary says
Sata took office in 2011 after the incumbent President tearfully conceded
He was nicknamed "King Cobra" because of his fiery tongue
Speculation over his health has intensified since he took office
(CNN)-- Zambian President Michael Sata, who was nicknamed "King Cobra" for his fiery comebacks and larger-than-life personality, has died. He was 77.
Sata had traveled to London for unspecified medical treatment last week, and died at a hospital there Tuesday evening. Officials did not disclose a cause of death.
"It's shocking, it's devastating, because I knew he was sick. But I did not know it was going to end this way," said George Zulu, permanent secretary at the Zambian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "(We) lost a man who devoted his whole life to his country."

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