Frederik Willem de Klerk, who served as South Africa’s last apartheid-era leader and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Nelson Mandela, has died at his home in Cape Town, his spokesman says. He was 85 years old.
“It is with the deepest sadness that the FW de Klerk Foundation must announce that former President FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer,” the foundation said in a statement.
De Klerk was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, in March and received immunotherapy. He is survived by his wife Elita, his children Susan and Jan, and his grandchildren.
De Klerk served as president in a white minority government from August 1989 until May 1994. He announced sweeping reforms just months later, which included the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) and the release of political prisoners, which included Nelson Mandela, who became president just four years later.
Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk were jointly awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their work to bring the apartheid regime in South Africa to an end, and for laying the foundation of a new democratic South Africa. Mandela died in December 2013.
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