John Hume was the former leader of the predominantly Catholic Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP)
London:
John Hume, the North Irish politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his role in the British provincial peace process, has died at the age of 83, his family announced on Monday.
Hume, the former leader of the predominantly Catholic Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP), shared the Nobel Prize with David Trimble of the pro-British Unionist Ulster Party (UUP) after the duo helped forge the 1998 Good Friday peace accord.
“We are deeply saddened to announce that John passed away peacefully in the wee hours of the morning after a short illness,” his family said in a statement.
“John was a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and brother. He was much loved and his loss will be deeply felt by all his extended family.”
The statement noted that Hume suffered from dementia and was being cared for at a nursing home in Londonderry.
The former SDLP leader helped end three decades of bloody conflict in Northern Ireland between the largely Catholic nationalist community who want to unify with Ireland and Protestant trade unionists who want to stay in Britain.
A moderate voice during a conflict that had killed nearly 3,600 people, Hume helped lead the inter-community peace process that culminated in the historic Good Friday Agreement reached by Belfast, Dublin, London.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said it was “impossible to properly express the breadth and significance of John Hume’s life”.
“He was one of the major figures in Irish public life of the last century,” he said on Twitter. “His vision and tenacity saved this country.”
The SDLP said: “We all live in the Ireland he imagined – at peace and free to decide our own fate.”
Hume’s family said his funeral would be held in accordance with current government regulations severely limiting the number of attendees due to the risk of the coronavirus spreading.
“We realize this will mean many will not be able to join us, and we will hold a memorial service and celebration of his life in due course,” they said.
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