Nelson Mandela — the leader of the South African black liberation movement who spent 27 years in prison after being convicted of treason by a government filled with political opponents hell-bent on silencing him, only to later be elected president after his release — is dead. He was 95.
“Our nation has lost its greatest son,” South African President Jacob Zuma said in a televised address to the nation this afternoon. “His humility, his compassion and his humanity earned him our love.”
According to numerous reports, the anti-apartheid movement leader had been in poor health for some time and recently contracted a lung infection that ultimately led to his death. His last official public appearance was in 2010, when South Africa hosted the World Cup. May he rest in peace.
Now please allow contentious, reclusive shut-in Nikki Finke to remind all of you why Mandela was important to the world…
And naturally, Darren Rovell is beyond parody…