Leaders, celebrities and entertainers across the world continue to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela after the former South African president died peacefully on Thursday at the age of 95.
President
Obama issued a heartfelt homage to the fallen
icon in a nationally televised address, praising Mandela for achieving “more
than could be expected of any man.”
“We have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and
profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this
Earth,” Obama said in a nationally televised address shortly after news of
Mandela’s death was announced. “He no longer belongs to us — he belongs to the
ages.”
“His journey from a prisoner to a president embodied the promise
that human beings — and countries — can change for the better,” Obama said.
“And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to
acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more
remarkable.”
"I
am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's
life," Obama said. “My very first political action, the first thing I ever
did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against
apartheid.”
Former President
Bill Clinton, who was the first serving American President to visit South
Africa, praised the late icon as “one of (the world’s) finest human beings” and
“a true friend.”
“History will remember Nelson Mandela as a champion for human
dignity and freedom, for peace and reconciliation,” Clinton said in a
statement. “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.”
Former President George W. Bush, meanwhile, called Mandela “one of
the great forces for freedom and equality of our time.”
French President Francois Hollande said: “Nelson Mandela made history, that of South Africa and the whole world. He continued
“Nelson Mandela’s message will not disappear. It will
continue to inspire fighters for freedom, and to give confidence to peoples in
the defense of just causes and universal rights.”
Pope
Francis paid tribute to Nelson Mandela’s
struggle to forge a just South Africa, praising the anti-apartheid hero’s
commitment to non-violence, reconciliation and truth.
He said: “I pray that the late president’s example will
inspire generations of South Africans to put justice and the common good at the
forefront of their political aspirations,” Francis said in a telegram to South
African President Jacob Zuma.
The pontiff praised “the steadfast commitment shown by
Nelson Mandela in promoting the human dignity of all the nation’s citizens and
in forging a new South Africa built on the firm foundations of non-violence,
reconciliation and truth”.
Jose Mourinho "I feel too small to make any tribute to this big man." #RIPMandela
Rest peacefully Mr. Mandela.
Your strength & determination will forever inspire.---- Wendy Williams
Mandela stood for justice and
truth!! Today the world lost a beautiful soul, fighter and true KING!! -----
Diddy
Nelson Mandela was the
embodiment of discipline, courage, love and forgiveness. "There is no
future without forgiveness"----
Mike Tyson
GOD Bless the Soul of 1 of The Greatest Humans this Planet has
ever known! A True Rep of Love, Courage, Sacrifice & Strength. #MANdela
--- Common
RIP 2 ONE OF OUR LAST TRULY GREAT KINGS AND GOD
OF OUR UNIVERSE, THE LATE GREAT NELSON MANDELA!!! I WILL 4EVER LOVE U GREAT MAN
& GREAT MIND — Busta Rhymes
A hero is someone who has given his life for
something bigger than oneself...The world lost a hero, Africa lost a
father...RIP Mandela—Yaya Toure
My respects to an
extraordinary person, probably one of the greatest humanists of our time:
Nelson Mandela.---- sepp Blatter
The 14-time major
winner ( Tyger Woods) fondly remembers being invited to Mandela's home for lunch in 1998, the
year after he became the first African-American to win the Masters at Augusta.
Woods admitted the
occasion was one of the outstanding highlights of his career, and he was
stunned by Mandela's lack of bitterness following 27 years of imprisonment.
"I don't think
any of us probably here could have survived that and come out as humble and as
dignified as he did," said Woods after his opening round at the
Northwestern Mutual World Challenge in California, where he is the tournament
host.
"To lead an
entire nation and to basically love the world when he came out, I think that's
a testament to his will and his spirit and who he was.
"That time frame
when he came out (of prison), the country could have fallen apart. It could
have gone a lot of different ways, and he led it to where it's at now, and the
world is going to miss him.
"It's a sad day
for many people around the world. He certainly had an impact on my life and
certainly my father. He invited us to his home, and it was one of the inspiring
times I've ever had in my life." Tiger
Woods
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Didier Drogba pays tribute to
Nelson Mandela at the final whistle, as Galatasaray beat Elazigspor 2-0 at
home.
Former South African president Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest on the 15th of December in Qunu, Eastern Cape.
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Mandela was an Hero, unforgetable reformer.
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