FW de Klerk, the former president of South Africa and the last white person to lead the country, has passed away due to cancer. The 85-year-old had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
He came to power in 1989 under apartheid, a system of legalized racism, but later became a key figure in the transition to democracy. In 1993, De Klerk and Nelson Mandela jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize for their work towards ending apartheid.
