John Hume, the Northern Irish politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his role in the British province's peace process, has died aged 83, his family announced on Monday.
"We are deeply saddened to announce that John passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning after a short illness," his family said in a statement.
John Hume, MP & MEP, prior to the the friendly match between Derry City and Barcelona at the Brandywell Stadium in Derry in August 2003.
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Hume, the former leader of the mainly Catholic Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), shared the Nobel with David Trimble of the pro-British Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) after the pair helped forge the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.
The 1998 Nobel Peace Prize prize was split between John Hume, a moderate Catholic leader, and David Trimble, leader of the Protestant Ulster Unionists, for their efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Trimble is pictured at left shaking hands with Hume on the eve of the Northern Ireland Referendum, May 21, 1998. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is at center.
AP