Frederik Willem de Klerk, the former president of South Africa and the last white man to lead the country, has died aged 85.
Mr de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Cape Town after he was diagnosed with cancer in March this year.
“Former president FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer,” the FW de Klerk Foundation said in a statement.
He was survived by his wife Elita, his children Jan and Susan, and his grandchildren.
Mr de Klerk was a key figure in South Africa’s transition to democracy.
He was head of state between September 1989 and May 1994, and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela, who succeeded him as president.
In 1990, Mr de Klerk announced to parliament that Mr Mandela would be released from prison after 27 years.
With South Africa’s isolation deepening and its economy deteriorating, Mr de Klerk also announced the lifting of the ban on the African National Congress and other anti-apartheid political groups.
The announcement electrified a country that for decades had been scorned and sanctioned by much of the world for its brutal system of racial discrimination.
(With inputs from agencies)
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