Nelson Mandela photos

Nelson Mandela was the leader of the African National Congress in the 1960s before he was later sentenced to life in prison for sabotage. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Nelson Mandela holds up his clenched fist in triumph the day after his release from prison in 1990 after 27 years at the age of 72. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

After his release from prison, Mandela holds his baby granddaughter with his wife Winnie by his side in 1990. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela holds up his medal and certificate after he was jointly awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with South African President F.W. de Klerk. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

U.S. Vice President Al Gore (L) and Speaker of the House Tom Foley (R) join the audience as they cheer for South African President Nelson Mandela while he delivers remarks to a joint meeting of Congress in Washington DC, on October 6, 1994. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

While campaigning for president, Mandela makes sure to stop and thank members of the South African Defense Forces for their support during South Africa's first ever post-apartheid election in 1994. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Nelson Mandela's message of peace extends much further than just South Africa, as his mural depicting his legacy is painted on a house in Northern Ireland circa 1995. (Photo by Kevin Weaver/Getty Images)

Philanthropists unite as Nelson Mandela and pop sensation Michael Jackson embrace in Kwazulu-Natal on July 20, 1996, after a brief meeting (Photo by AFP/Getty Images)

In Pretoria, South Africa, Nelson Mandela receives several volumes of the final report made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a group designed to repair the damage done during the apartheid, from Archbishop Desmond Tutu on October 29, 1998. (Photo by WALTER DHLADHLA/AFP/Getty Images)

South African President Nelson Mandela is welcomed into the U.S. with open arms as he shakes hands with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office in 1999, the finsl year that Mandela served as president. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Former South African President Nelson Mandela shakes hands with Microsoft CEO/Chairman Bill Gates during a discussion on global health at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle in 1999. Mandela thanked Gates for the millions of dollars Bill and Melinda Gates have donated to worldwide charities. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Former President Nelson Mandela and Arnold Schwarzenegger hold a symbolic 'Flame of Hope' at a ceremony outside Mandela's old prison cell on Robben Island. The event was part of the Special Olympics African Hope 2001 campaign, which aims to reach out to athletes with mental retardation accross Africa. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Nelson Mandela and Oprah Winfrey don matching construction hard hats to break the ground for her $10 million Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa in 2002. She described Mandela as her "hero" and he called her a "queen." (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Nelson Mandela joins musician and activist Bob Geldof in speaking to a crowd at the "Make Poverty History" campaign, aimed at giving a chance to those restrained by the limitations of poverty, on February 3, 2005, in London, England. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Brandishing the prison number that plagued him in prison for more than 20 years, Nelson Mandela speaks at the "46664 Artic" concert, which was meant to raise awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS, on June 11, 2005, in Norway. (Photo by Getty Images)

Embracing new technology, Nelson Mandela shows his face via a video link at the Live 8 benefit concert on July 6, 2005, in Edingurgh, Scotland. (Photo by MJ Kim/Getty Images)

Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, wave to the crowd after his address during the second 46664 AIDS Benefit Concert in 2005. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Former South African president Nelson Mandela and Will Smith, master of ceremonies for the evening, pose for photographers during a press conference before the second 46664 AIDS benefit concert in 2005. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

After Nelson Mandela sees the unveiling of a very lifelike statue of himelf giving a speech, he takes a note from his monument and gives a speech to an onlooking audience in London, England on August 29, 2007. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

As part of Nelson Mandela's 89th birthday celebration, the man of the hour stands with guest lecturer former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the 5th annual Nelson Mandela Lecture in Johannesburg in 2007. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Princess Caroline of Monaco pays a courtesy call to former President Nelson Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2007. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

South African Rugby Union coach Jake White (L) and South Africa Rugby Union captain John Smit (R) join together in holding the Webb-Elllis Rugby World Cup above Nelson Mandela's head, signifying their appreciation of the influential figure, on October 27, 2007, in Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

The Nelson Mandela Bridge built in 2003 spans a rail yard of 42 railways in Johannesburg. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Nelson Mandela and his wife Gracia Machel tour the stadium before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final between the Netherlands and Spain on July 11, 2010, in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Bob Thomas)

Mandela receives the African Nation Congress' centenary torch from their chairwoman Baleka Mbete at his home on May 30, 2012, in Qunu, South Africa. The original torch was lit during the party's 100th birthday celebrations earlier in the year, before a replica was presented to Mandela at his home. (Photo by Daily Dispatch/Gallo Images)

Generations of citizens in South Africa, both old and new, pay tribute to Nelson Mandela and all that he has done in the fight for the troubled country. Children walk past a mural of the leader for peace, which shows the different landmarks of his momentous life, on December 10, 2012, in Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa. (Photo by ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images)