South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu has died at age 90. Tutu, a Nobel Peace Laureate won the honour for his fight against white minority rule in South Africa. "The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa," President Cyril Ramaphosa told Reuters.
Tutu came together with Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama ahead of the latter's 80th birthday for the 'Book of Joy' penned by Douglas Carlton Abrams. Tutu is known to be tolerant of the LGBTQ community. One of his daughters' Mpho Andrea, who was ordained in 2003, gave up the clergy after she married a long-time partner Marceline van Furth.
Tutu, who harboured a love for rum and coke (as mentioned in the 'Book of Joy'), has penned books like 'The Book of Forgiving' and Made for Goodness: 'And Why This Makes All the Difference'. Tutu trained to become a teacher before becoming a priest. He studies MA in theology from London University. Tutu, who shared Mandela's vision of a multi-racial society, has always kept his distance from the ANC (African National Congress), the party which spearheaded Africa's liberation movement. Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the late '90s. In 2015, Tutu urged global leaders to create a world run on renewable energies within 35 years. Tutu has also vocalised support for assisted dying.
