"Madiba", South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela died late Thursday at his home in Houghton, a suburb of Johannesburg. He was 95 years old and had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital.
South African President Jacob Zuma made the tragic announcement on a national TV. Zuma said, "Mandela had departed" and was at peace. Our nation has lost its greatest son."
"What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves," Zuma said. "Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together and it is together that we will bid him farewell."
Mandela would receive a full state funeral, and flags would be flown at half-mast, the president added.
Mandela's body will be moved to a mortuary in Pretoria, and the funeral is likely to take place next Saturday.
After his death, people from around the world are mourning and paying their tributes to this great man.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "A giant among men has passed away. This is as much India's loss as South Africa's. He was a true Gandhian".
"His life and work will remain a source of eternal inspiration for generations to come. I join all those who are praying for his soul," he added.
Obama said Mandela achieved more than what 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. He no longer belongs to us - he belongs to the ages," Obama said.
Obama, the first black president of the US, said he was one of the millions who drew inspiration from Mandela's life.
Obama has ordered flags at half-mast on all US public buildings until sunset on Dec 9 in honour of Mandela.
Former England football captain David Beckham, who met Nelson Mandela in 2003, posted on Facebook, "My heart goes out to the people in South Africa and Mr Mandela's family. We have lost a true gentleman and a courageous human being. It was truly an honour to have known a man who had genuine love for so many people. Rest in peace."
Former President Bill Clinton called Mandela "a champion for human dignity and freedom, for peace and reconciliation" who "proved that there is freedom in forgiving, that a big heart is better than a closed mind, and that life's real victories must be shared."
"Mandela was one of the great forces for freedom and equality of our time," said former President George W. Bush. "This good man will be missed, but his contributions will live on forever."
US First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted from the First Lady of the United States account, "We will forever draw strength and inspiration from Nelson Mandela's extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness, and humility."
British Prime Minister David Cameron said "a great light has gone out in the world".
Mandela had spent 27 years as a prisoner in South Africa for opposing apartheid in the 1990s, and then emerged to become his country's first black president.
He had rarely been seen in public since officially retiring in 2004. He made his last public appearance in 2010, at the football World Cup in South Africa.
He is survived by his third wife, Graca Machel, three daughters and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren
He was bestowed with the Nobel Peace Prize for being an enduring symbol of integrity, principle and resilience.
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