South Africa has bid farewell to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a leading figure in the anti-apartheid struggle and international defender of human rights and peace.
He died , triggering grief among South Africans and tributes from world leaders for a life spent fighting injustice.
Here are the key dates in his life.
7 October, 1931: He is born in the small town of Klerksdorp, west of Johannesburg. His mother is a domestic worker and his father a teacher.
1961: He Is ordained as an Anglican priest, having studied theology after working as a school teacher.
1976: He is appointed the bishop of neighbouring Lesotho.
1978: He becomes the first black secretary general of the South African Council of Churches, a highly influential grouping with 15 million members that is active in the struggle against apartheid.
1984: He is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his opposition to South Africa's apartheid regime. The same year he becomes the first black bishop of Johannesburg and calls for an embargo against the white-minority regime.
Desmond Tutu in New Orleans, September 7, 1982. Source: AP
1986: He is ordained as the first black Archbishop of Cape Town and head of the Anglican Church for Southern Africa, covering two million followers.
1996: Two years after the end of apartheid, he heads the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that begins hearings into atrocities committed under the previous regime.
1997: He is diagnosed with prostate cancer and undergoes repeated treatment over the following years. He helps to found The Elders group of global leaders working for peace and human rights, acting as its chairman until 2013.
Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah arrive at a special public hearing of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Johannesburg, November 27, 1997. Source: AP
2010: Aged 79, he announces his retirement from public life.
2013: He declares he will no longer be voting for the African National Congress, South Africa's long-ruling party, citing inequality, violence and corruption among other reasons.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2010, the year he retired from public life Source: Press Association
2016: He joins advocates calling for the right to assisted dying.
May 2021: He makes a rare public appearance to receive his COVID-19 vaccine. He emerges from hospital in a wheelchair and waves but does not speak.
26 December 2021: He passes away, aged 90.
2022: His remains are to be buried in the historic St George's Cathedral where he preached for 10 years.
