Nelson Mandela Dies: Nobel Peace Winner And Former South African President Dead At 95

Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, has died, current South African President Jacob Zuma announced late Thursday. He was 95. The anti-apartheid leader battled health issues in recent months that led to numerous hospitalizations. Mandela had been receiving around the clock intensive care from military and other doctors since September, when he was discharged from a nearly three month hospital stay for a lung infection. His grandson Ndaba had recently told a local broadcaster that Mandela was "not doing well at home in bed."

Mandela had a history of lung problems, after falling ill with tuberculosis in 1988 toward the tail-end of his prison term before his release and subsequent presidency. While doctors said at the time the disease caused no permanent damage to his lungs, medical experts say tuberculosis can cause problems years later for those infected. Mandela became increasingly frail in recent years and was hospitalized several times in the past few months, receiving treatment for pneumonia, an ongoing lung infection and gallstones.

Nelson Mandela will forever be remembered for bringing hope and reconciliation to South Africa. "I would like to be remembered not as anyone unique or special, but as part of a great team in this country that has struggled for many years, for decades and even centuries," he said in 2010. "The greatest glory of living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall." Just minutes before the current president of South Africa announced the tragic news, Mandela's home, where he spent his last days, received an unusual amount of visitors.

The reason for the larger-than-usual gathering was not made public at the time, although we know can assume it was for close family and friends to say their goodnyes. It came shortly after Mandela's daughter Makaziwe described her father as fighting from his "deathbed," but still being "very strong" and "very courageous." "Even when there are moments when you can see he's struggling, but the fighting spirit is still there with him," she said earlier this week. Among the people seen entering the house were renown politicians, military personnel, two of Mandela's granddaughters and Bantu Holomisa, a close family friend.