Ellene Mocria, one of the first Ethiopian female radio and TV journalists, died of cancer Wednesday at age 79. She passed away this afternoon in Addis Ababa from complications related to cancer, her family said.

Ellene was the first female newscaster and producer when the Voice of Ethiopia began daily English broadcasts to Europe and West Africa in 1962 and added another broadcasting milestone to her career when she became the first woman television journalist in Ethiopia in 1964.

“She was a woman with a tremendous joie de vivre, enthusiasm, and full of humor. She became a staple of news broadcasting across radio and TV and she had the pioneering impact on the industry,” veteran journalist Leakemariam Demssie said.

Nita Bhalla, the East Africa Correspondent for the Thomson Reuters Foundation and a former colleague of Ellene at the BBC wrote on Facebook that she was “deeply saddened to hear of the passing away of the exceptional Ethiopian journalist.”

She added: “As a cub reporter on my first foreign posting in Addis Ababa, you were like an elder sister and mentor, helping me navigate the complexities of reporting from Ethiopia – your wisdom and advice keeping me safe on countless occasions. You are a beautiful soul and brought so much light into my life.”

Ellene paved the way for many female reporters when she made her TV debut in the 1960s, inspiring the growing cadre of women journalists.

Her profile could be found here- Ellene Mocria- Distinguished Lady of Ethiopian Radio and TV