Tweets and Condolence Messages as Nelson Mandela Dies

Key points

- In a statement on South African national TV, President Jacob Zuma said Nelson Mandela was at peace

- He had been suffering from a recurring lung infection but left hospital in September to spend his remaining days at the family home in Houghton, near Johannesburg

- Nelson Mandela led the struggle against South Africa's apartheid regime

- He spent 27 years in prison, and after his release he was elected his country's first black president

- After stepping down as president, the Nobel peace prize winner became the country's highest-profile ambassador and Aids activist

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By Zoe Murphy

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President Obama said Nelson Mandela's journey embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better, and said he personally had been inspired by him.

US Republican senator John McCain

tweets: RIP Nelson Mandela, whose courage and character inspired South Africa and the world.

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US President Barack Obama said: "I'm one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela."

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Read the full statement by South African President Jacob Zuma

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Mandela was "a source of inspiration" for the world.

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World leaders past and present have been paying tribute to Nelson Mandela. UK Prime Minister David Cameron said "a great light has gone out in the world".

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Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president after a long fight against white minority rule. The BBC looks at his life in pictures

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All flags in South Africa will be lowered to half-mast and will remain like that until after Mr Mandela's funeral, President Zuma announced.

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Gabriel Gatehouse - BBC News, Johannesburg

Nelson Mandela's body will be moved to a mortuary in Pretoria, and the state funeral is expected to take place next Saturday.

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"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mandela family," Mr Zuma said.

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Mr Zuma said Nelson Mandela would be accorded a state funeral.

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President Zuma said: "Our people have lost their father. Although we knew this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of profound and enduring loss."

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Mr Mandela, who was 95, had been suffering from a recurrence of a lung infection. He was admitted to hospital three times this year but since September he had been receiving treatment at his home in Johannesburg.

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In the past few minutes, South African President Jacob Zuma has announced the death of Nelson Mandela, saying the nation had lost its greatest son.