Nelson Mandela, legendary leader, dies at 95

Nelson Mandela, legendary leader of the anti-apartheid movement and cherished South African president, has died at 95 years of age. Current South African President Jacob Zuma announced Thursday: “Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss.”

Mandela was the first black South African president, and the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his civil rights work. He was imprisoned for 27 years of his life, but came out as strong as ever, ready to lead the anti-apartheid effort.

President Obama called Mandela “influential, courageous and profoundly good,” and in an emotional speech said that “he achieved more than could be expected of any man… he belongs to the ages.”

Mandela suffered months of health problems, including a severe lung infection that led to frequent hospital stays. When the illness continued to advance, he decided to return to his childhood home in the Eastern Cape Province. Shortly before he passed away, he was moved to his home in Johannesburg.

Mandela will forever be remembered for the positive change he brought to South Africa, and for a commitment to his people that displayed utter passion. In a 1964 trial, Mandela made a statement that truly reflected everything he stood for: “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”