Ghana President John Atta Mills dies at 68By FRANCIS KOKUTSE in Accra | Tuesday, July 24  2012 at  19:36

Ghana President John Atta Mills has died suddenly, only four days after celebrating his 68th birthday.

"It is with a heavy heart...that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana," a statement from the President's office said.

Mr Atta-Mills had last month travelled to the United States for treatment amid widespread rumours of his death.

His chief of staff, John Henry Martey Newman, said Mr Mills died Tuesday afternoon at the 37th military hospital in Accra where he had been rushed after he fell ill on Monday night.

The third President of the Republic, Mr Mills was due to stand for re-election for a second term in December.

President Mills, who was a law lecturer for several years, was vice president from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry Rawlings, and stood unsuccessfully in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He came to power after narrowly edging out the candidate of the then governing New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, in elections in December 2008.

Vice President John Dramani Mahama was expected to be sworn in as President later Tuesday.