South Africa’s archbishop and one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement, Desmond Tutu, has passed at the age of 90.
The death of the activist clergyman was announced by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa in a statement on Sunday.
The statement which was issued on behalf of the Tutu family called the late Desmond Tutu a man who “turned his own misfortune into a teaching opportunity to raise awareness and reduce the suffering of others.”
“The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” the statement reads.
“He wanted the world to know that he had prostate cancer and that the sooner it is detected, the better the chance of managing it.
“Ultimately, at the age of 90, he died peacefully at the Oasis Frail Care Centre in Cape Town this morning.”
Tutu was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his campaign of non-violent opposition to South Africa’s white minority rule.
