Nelson Mandela once said, "When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw."
The former South African President, who spent 27 years in prison for anti-apartheid activities and led his nation into a new era, died Thursday at his home after being in poor health for years.
South African President Jacob Zuma announced Mandela's passing in a televised address. Zuma encouraged South Africans to conduct themselves with the dignity Mandela held all his life, as they mourn his death.
"Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss," Zuma said. "Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn the loss of the one person who, more than any other, came to embody their sense of a common nationhood. Our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced Madiba as their own, and who saw his cause as their cause.
"He is now resting. He is now at peace. Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father," he said.
Born in Transkei, South Africa, the civil rights activist, became the leader in South Africa's move to end apartheid. His efforts to find common ground among races, with a memo of no violence, reached well beyond the borders of South Africa and earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Mandela earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Fort Hare. During his time in college, he was elected into the Student's Representative Council, but was later suspended from college for joining in a protest boycott.
Mandela's law degree allowed him to practice law and in 1952 build the first law firm in South Africa, with partner Oliver Tambo. In 1964, Mandela stood trial for plotting to overthrow the government, using violent acts. He was sentenced to life in prison, but spent 27 years, being released on Feb. 11, 1990.
Upon being released from prison Mandela became the country's first black president in 1994. He was also the first to be elected in a "fully representative democratic election in South Africa." During his presidency, which ended in June 1999, the anti-apartheid leader used the nation's enthusiasm to bring together the whites and blacks of the nation.
President Barack Obama immediately spoke on Mandela death, whom he calls one of his political heroes.
"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony...Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal and he made it real," Obama said. "He achieved more than could be expected for any man and today he's gone home...We have lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings...He belongs to the ages."
The former president, whose last formal public appearance was during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, was hospitalized in June for a recurring lung infection. His fifth complication in two years.
Bill Clinton and his family released a statement, after the new of Mandela's death was reported.
"Today the world has lost one of its most important leaders and one of its finest human beings," Clinton said in a statement. "And Hillary, Chelsea and I have lost a true friend. History will remember Nelson Mandela as a champion for human dignity and freedom, for peace and reconciliation. We will remember him as a man of uncommon grace and compassion, for whom abandoning bitterness and embracing adversaries was not just a political strategy but a way of life...All of us are living in a better world because of the life that Madiba lived.
Mandela is survived by his wife, Graca Machel, ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and three daughters Pumla Makaziwe, Zenani and Zindziswa Mandela.
Mandela will be buried on Dec. 15 at his rural home in Qunu, the Associated Press reported. A memorial service will be held on Dec. 10, in a Johannesburg stadium. Zuma has announced Dec. 8, national day of prayer and reflection.