Eduardo dos Santos, 76; a Leader of Angola Independence Drive

Eduardo Macedo dos Santos, 76, one of the founders of Angola’s governing party and a leader of the country’s independence movement, died Friday in Lisbon after a long illness, the Angolan Embassy announced.

Dos Santos, who had lived in Portugal since 1995, helped found the the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in 1956. He played an important role in the African nation’s independence struggle against Portugal’s colonial rule, which ended in 1975.

The son of a Portuguese army officer and an Angolan woman, Dos Santos was trained as a physician. He was among the key party leaders who lobbied in Africa and Europe for support during Angola’s fight for independence.

After that battle was won, Dos Santos became the personal physician for Agostinho Neto, the nation’s first post-independence president. Dos Santos also held senior health care positions in the government. An avid soccer fan, he was the first president of the Angolan Football Federation.