. South African President Jacob Zuma confirmed Mandela’s death in a TV address and said: 'Our nation has lost its greatest son’

. Former president passed away at his home in Johannesburg

. President Obama paid emotional tribute, saying: 'I cannot fully imagine my life without the example that Nelson Mandela set'

. David Cameron said a 'great light has gone out in in the world'

. Mandela had spent almost three months in hospital with a recurring lung infection

. He was discharged in September and had been receiving home-based medical attention since then

. The 20th century icon will be accorded a full state funeral

. The leader's daughters and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge learned of Mandela's death while attending the UK premier of a film about him

 

Nelson Mandela has died at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa aged 95. The anti-apartheid icon died at 12:50pm EST surrounded by close family. Mandela's death came nearly five months after he was admitted to hospital with a lung infection. Despite being allowed to return home three months ago, South Africa's first black president has not been able to move from a bedroom described as being a 'virtual 24 hour intensive care unit' and has needed a ventilator to breath.

Rumors of Mr Mandela's increasing discomfort started circulating in the early afternoon Wednesday as increasing numbers of Mandela family members arrived at the former president's large Johannesburg home. South Africa's president Jacob Zuma announced the long-expected death in a special television broadcast last night. Mr Zuma said: '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. 'Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together and it is together that we will bid him farewell.'

 

The White House said tonight that the president is expected to travel to South Africa for Mandela's state funeral along with other world leaders. 'He achieved more than could be expected for any man and today he's gone home,’ Obama said at a news conference. 'Madiba transformed South Africa and moved all of us- his journey from a prisoner to a president embodied the promise that humans can transform for the better.'

 

Mr Obama visited South Africa in June and met with the former president's family but did not personally meet with the ailing leader because his health was so poor at the time. Mr Obama previously had a personal meeting when he was just a Senator. He said that the very first political action in his life, let alone his career, was his participation in an anti-apartheid rally held in Mandela's honor. 'We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again, so it falls to us' to live by his example and 'make decisions not by hate but by love,' Mr Obama said in the press conference. He said that the thoughts and prayers of the first family and the American people were with Mr Mandela's family. 'His life's work meant long days away from those who loved him most,' saying that he hoped they were able to value the last few months together.

 

UK Prime Minister David Cameron led the tributes to Mandela in that country. 'Nelson Mandela showed us the true meaning of courage, hope, and reconciliation,' Cameron said. 'My heart goes out to his family - and to all in South Africa and around the world whose lives were changed through his courage.' Cameron tweeted that the flag at No 10 Downing Street would be flown at half-mast.  'A great light has gone out in the world,' Cameron said. 'Nelson Mandela was a hero of out time.

Although increasingly frail, Mandela had been in an out of the hospital over the past five years, he was last rushed to hospital on June 8th this year. He was initially treated for a lung infection, but with three weeks his condition, it was announced, had turned 'critical'. The South African government has never disclosed the full extent of his illness, but reputable news sources revealed that his liver and kidneys were functioning at just 50 percent. South African media reported that he was on ventilation and undergoing regular renal dialysis.

 

Nelson Mandela was one of the world's most admired and beloved political leaders, an icon of the redemptive power of reconciliation. South Africans took to the streets of Johannesburg in their droves to mourn former president Nelson Mandela after news of his death broke. Mourners converged on Mandela's home in the capital to light candles and pay tribute to the man who ended apartheid and gave them their freedom. While some looked sombre and quietly said prayers following Mandela's passing, others celebrated his achievements in a loud show of patriotism and pride.

 

Crowds, made up of all creeds, races and religions, sang loudly together, danced and waved candles just yards from where the former president died. Many chanted 'it's in our hands now', referring to the legacy that Mandela has left and that many of the crowd now feel is their responsibility to continue. Hundreds of people waved South Africa flags, embraced, clapped and chanted Mr Mandela's name as they remembered their first democratically elected president.

 

In London, royals, celebrities and members of Nelson Mandela's family--including his two daughters--attended the UK premiere of the biographical film of his life and were oblivious to the fact that he'd died just hours earlier. Speaking from the Odeon cinema, Prince William said: 'I just wanted to say it's extremely sad and tragic news. 'We were just reminded what an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. It's very sad.' It was not clear what had happened to Mandela's daughter, including Zindzi, who appeared jovial and relaxed walking the red carpet before the premiere but seemed overcome when she got inside.

 

The former lawyer spent 27 years in apartheid prisons for his political beliefs before becoming South Africa's first black president. His critical role in both achieving full democracy in South Africa and then keeping the peace when it arrived in 1994 earned him a Nobel Peace Prize. But it was the magnanimity he showed his former oppressors - coupled with an intense personal charm - that has earned him admirers all over the globe. A huge state funeral, attended by most world leaders, is expected to be held in the coming days. Having served just one term as president of South Africa, Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has only rarely been glimpsed in public since then. His last public appearance was at football's 2010 World Cup final when his wife had to support his arm to allow him to wave to the crowd. 

 

As well as receiving treatment for prostate cancer, stomach pain and problems with his eyes, Mandela's most persistent medical problems have been respiratory. He damaged his lungs and contracted tuberculosis while digging in a lime quarry during the 18 years he spent imprisoned on the notorious Robben Island, outside Cape Town. He has been admitted to hospital numerous times over past decade - and five times since December last year. He underwent treatment for, among other things, a respiratory disorder, a 'long-standing abdominal complaint', gallstones and, in April this year, for the removal of fluid from his lungs.

 

Such is Mandela's popularity in South Africa - where he is lionised for his role in healing the country's racial divides - that many public figures have tried to attach themselves to the former African National Congress (ANC) leader's legacy. Jacob Zuma's decision, last April, to allow himself to be filmed standing next to an unsmiling, expressionless Mandela in hospital drew much adverse comment, including from Mandela's family.

 

The ANC's main political opposition, the Democratic Alliance, has also been accused of trying to 'hijack' his legacy by highlighting its historical connection to the man most South African refer to by his clan name Madiba. While some political commentators have expressed a fear that Mandela's death could destabilise South Africa by re-opening racial wounds, most South Africans are well used to the idea of his passing. Indeed, most serious political analysts in the country recognise that Mr Mandela's death is unlikely to create a political shockwave.

 

More significant, they say, may be the fact that without Mandela's immense moral authority, the ruling ANC party may be more vulnerable to charges of corruption and incompetence. Mandela, who is generally considered to be 'the father' of modern South Africa, has said that his greatest regret has been his failure to have raised his own children. He married three times. Two wives remain alive: his ex wife Winnie and Graca Machel. He has three remaining children, another four step children, 17 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

 

By LEON WATSON, DAN NEWLING IN CAPE TOWN and JOSHUA GARDNER