Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a hero in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, passed away in December at age 90, leading President Joe Biden and government officials to express condolences for his loss.

Tutu’s work in his native South Africa made him renowned globally as a leader against human rights abuses and injustice, a report by CNN said. Known as ‘The Arch,’ Tutu served as a key proponent of ending racial segregation in South Africa during a career that spanned six decades. When apartheid ended and Nelson Mandela was elected president, he was appointed as chair of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“Desmond Tutu followed his spiritual calling to create a better, freer, and more equal world,” President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a joint statement released by the White House. “His legacy transcends borders and will echo throughout the ages.”

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was laid to rest in a pine coffin, the cheapest available per his request, CNN reported. His requiem mass was held at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town. 

Tutu was battling health issues since 2013 when he began undergoing tests for a persistent infection, CNN reported. He was hospitalized multiple times until passing away on Dec. 26, 2021.

“I join President Biden and the First Lady in mourning the loss of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an extraordinary leader who joyously devoted his life to celebrating and advancing human dignity, justice, and morality. He was unassuming but no less inspiring to the world,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that Tutu was a “patriot without equal.”

“A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world,” Ramaphosa said as reported by CNN.