Roland Msiska, secretary to the Zambian Cabinet, said in a statement on Wednesday that Sata died late on Tuesday Oct 28,2014 in London, where he was being treated.
"As you are aware the president was receiving medical attention in London," Msiska told state television.
"The head of state passed on in October 28. President Sata's demise is deeply regreted. The nation will be kept informed on burial arrangements."
Msiska says Sata's wife, Christine Kaseba, and other family members were with the 77-year-old president when he died.
Known as "King Cobra" for his venomous tongue, Mr Sata was elected Zambia's president in 2011.
Sata became president in September 2011, defeating the then incumbent Rupiah Banda whose party had been in power for 20 years.
President Sata had gone abroad for a medical check-up amid persistent speculation that he was seriously ill.
After he left the country, Defence Minister Edgar Lungu was named as acting president.
Vice-President Guy Scott has regularly stood in for the president at official events. But he is of Scottish descent and his parents were not born in Zambia, so he may fall foul of a constitutional clause on parentage which would nullify his candidacy.
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