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| Mandela’s Death Draws Flood of Emotion From Around the World | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — After the long months of vigil as Nelson Mandela weakened, far from public view, many around the world awoke Friday to mourn and praise him and to ponder his legacy. | LONDON — After the long months of vigil as Nelson Mandela weakened, far from public view, many around the world awoke Friday to mourn and praise him and to ponder his legacy. |
| In South Africa, at a service in Cape Town, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, himself a towering figure in the struggle against apartheid that defined much of Mr. Mandela’s life, spoke for the hopes and fears of many of his compatriots when he told congregants at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral early on Friday: “Let us give him the gift of a South Africa united, one.” | In South Africa, at a service in Cape Town, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, himself a towering figure in the struggle against apartheid that defined much of Mr. Mandela’s life, spoke for the hopes and fears of many of his compatriots when he told congregants at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral early on Friday: “Let us give him the gift of a South Africa united, one.” |
| As flags flew at half-staff across South Africa, a sense of loss, blended with memories of inspiration, spread around the world from President Obama in Washington to members of Britain’s royal family and on to those who saw Mr. Mandela as an exemplar of a broader struggle. | As flags flew at half-staff across South Africa, a sense of loss, blended with memories of inspiration, spread around the world from President Obama in Washington to members of Britain’s royal family and on to those who saw Mr. Mandela as an exemplar of a broader struggle. |
| “A giant among men has passed away,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India. “This is as much India’s loss as South Africa’s.” | “A giant among men has passed away,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India. “This is as much India’s loss as South Africa’s.” |
| In London, Prime Minister David Cameron declared: “A great light has gone out in the world.” | In London, Prime Minister David Cameron declared: “A great light has gone out in the world.” |
| Britons often claim a particular bond among the many Europeans who supported South Africa’s struggle against apartheid, leading efforts to impose an international boycott on South African sports figures and gathering frequently to protest outside the country’s high commission, or embassy, in Trafalgar Square in London. | Britons often claim a particular bond among the many Europeans who supported South Africa’s struggle against apartheid, leading efforts to impose an international boycott on South African sports figures and gathering frequently to protest outside the country’s high commission, or embassy, in Trafalgar Square in London. |
| But it was a sometimes ambivalent relationship, with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher displaying an abiding suspicion of Mr. Mandela’s role as a leader in the violent struggle to overthrow white rule. Newer generations had a different view. | But it was a sometimes ambivalent relationship, with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher displaying an abiding suspicion of Mr. Mandela’s role as a leader in the violent struggle to overthrow white rule. Newer generations had a different view. |
| Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, spoke to reporters after attending the premiere of a new movie about Mr. Mandela on Thursday, calling him “an extraordinary and inspiring man.” | Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, spoke to reporters after attending the premiere of a new movie about Mr. Mandela on Thursday, calling him “an extraordinary and inspiring man.” |
| The tumult of tributes to Mr. Mandela reflected both his ability after his release from prison in 1990 to reach out to people to forge bonds around the world, and the way in which many leaders and public figures sought him out. His state funeral in coming days is expected to draw a vast array of world leaders. | The tumult of tributes to Mr. Mandela reflected both his ability after his release from prison in 1990 to reach out to people to forge bonds around the world, and the way in which many leaders and public figures sought him out. His state funeral in coming days is expected to draw a vast array of world leaders. |
| “His passion for freedom and justice created new hope for generations of oppressed people worldwide,” said former President Jimmy Carter. | “His passion for freedom and justice created new hope for generations of oppressed people worldwide,” said former President Jimmy Carter. |
| Musicians, clerics and sports figures joined the rush to offer accolades after Mr. Mandela’s death was announced late Thursday, with a leading South African cricketer, A.B. de Villiers, echoing Archbishop Tutu’s hope for a future free of renewed racial and social division. | Musicians, clerics and sports figures joined the rush to offer accolades after Mr. Mandela’s death was announced late Thursday, with a leading South African cricketer, A.B. de Villiers, echoing Archbishop Tutu’s hope for a future free of renewed racial and social division. |
| “Let us now, more than ever, stick together as a nation,” Mr. de Villiers said. “We owe him that much.” | “Let us now, more than ever, stick together as a nation,” Mr. de Villiers said. “We owe him that much.” |
| Mr. Mandela was closely linked with sport, both as a boxer in his younger days and, after becoming South Africa’s first black president, as a supporter of the national Springbok rugby team — once a symbol of white exclusivism — that triumphed in the 1995 World Cup. | Mr. Mandela was closely linked with sport, both as a boxer in his younger days and, after becoming South Africa’s first black president, as a supporter of the national Springbok rugby team — once a symbol of white exclusivism — that triumphed in the 1995 World Cup. |
| But his broader legacy, for some sports figures, related to his quest for reconciliation and freedom. | But his broader legacy, for some sports figures, related to his quest for reconciliation and freedom. |
| “He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale,” the former heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali said in a statement. “His was a spirit born free, destined to soar above the rainbows. Today his spirit is soaring through the heavens. He is now forever free.” | “He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale,” the former heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali said in a statement. “His was a spirit born free, destined to soar above the rainbows. Today his spirit is soaring through the heavens. He is now forever free.” |