Times of Malta journalist Michael Testa has died, aged 75, the newspaper reported. 

"It-Testa", as he was affectionately known among colleagues, died at Mater Dei Hospital early on Thursday after a short illness.

Testa reported on most of the biggest stories in Malta of the late 20th century, including the Egyptair hijack, the political unrest of the 1980s and the Nardu Debono murder.

Testa had infamously been told by a source not to return to the Times of Malta building on October 15, 1979, because "something was brewing", the report says. Shortly afterward, the building was torched to the ground. 

Testa joined the newspaper as part of il-Berqa team before moving on to The Times after spending some years in the UK.

He retired in 2008 after working for more than 40 years at the Times of Malta offices in Valletta.

He served as a journalist and a deputy news editor, before retiring in the night editorial department.