Former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk, the last leader under apartheid and a key actor in the country’s transition to democracy, has died.

He died on Thursday aged 85, his foundation announced.

“FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer,” the FW de Klerk Foundation said in a statement on Thursday.

De Klerk and South Africa’s first black President Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for leading the “miracle” transition from white rule in the country.

He died after a battle with cancer, his foundation said in a statement.

He is survived by his wife Elita, children Jan and Susan, and grandchildren.

“The family will, in due course, make an announcement regarding funeral arrangements,” the statement added.