Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Nelson Mandela died on Thursday, December 5, 2013, at 95. The official cause of death was listed as a lung infection, although Mandela had suffered from age-related illness from 2004 until his death in 2013.

Mandela is well-known for his political significance; he served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first black South African to hold the office. He was also the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. Mandela was a well-known anti-apartheid revolutionary; he was also a controversial figure for much of his life, but gained international acclaim for his activism. In fact, he received more than 250 honors, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. Mandela is deeply respected in South Africa, where he’s often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba. Many South Africans describe him as “the father of the nation.”

Born to the Thembu royal family, Mandela attended Fort Hare University, and then the University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law. After attending university, Mandela moved to Johannesburg, where he worked as a lawyer and became involved in anti-colonial politics. He was arrested repeatedly for seditious activities; Mandela was prosecuted unsuccessfully in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961. In 1962 he was arrested again, and during the Rivonia Trial, was convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the government. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

He served 27 years in prison, and an international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990. Mandela opened negotiations with President F.W. de Klerk to abolish apartheid, and helped to establish multiracial elections in 1994, during which he led the ANC to victory as South Africa’s first black president. He formed a Government of National Unity, whose goal was to defuse racial tension. He also helped to craft a new constitution, and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights abuses that occurred before apartheid was abolished.

While he remains a controversial figure to some, there’s no denying that Mandela played a significant and vital role in transforming South Africa from a deeply divided nation into a democracy that’s working to move forward from a very troubled past. Leaders around the world have joined together to praise Mandela, and share condolences - not only for the family, but for the entire South African nation, and for a world that will miss the loss of a valued elder statesman.

Mandela is survived by his third wife, Graca Machel, three living daughters (three other children are deceased), and multiple children and great-grandchildren.