Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Photo courtesy of big-ashb via Flickr)Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Photo courtesy of big-ashb via Flickr)
Sarnia

Archbishop Desmond Tutu dead at 90

Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu, the cleric and human rights activist has died.

In a statement following Tutu's death, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the retired Archbishop "one of the world’s leading human rights activists and strongest moral voices."

Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end apartheid.

Besides his work to free South Africa from apartheid, Tutu was known as one of the prominent voices for LGBTQ rights and same sex marriage.

Tutu was born in Klerksdorp, South Africa. He and his wife had four children. Tutu was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1960.

He took on the most senior position in southern Africa's Anglican hierarchy, the Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986.

After the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, the two worked closely together.

Mandela named Tutu the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A group that investigated human rights abuses committed by both pro and anti-apartheid groups.

"Throughout a remarkable life, Archbishop Tutu used his vision of interconnectedness, equality, and forgiveness to advocate for a better, more peaceful world," Prime Minister Trudeau said in his statement.

Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 and has struggled with his health in recent years.

He was 90-years-old when he passed.

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