TRIBUTES have been paid worldwide to South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died yesterday at the age of 90.

Presidents, prime ministers, anti-racism campaigners and religious leaders are among those who praised his life and work.

They praised Archbishop Tutu’s courageous and outspoken opposition to his country’s racist apartheid regime, which ended in 1994 with the election of Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s first black president.

In Britain, former Labour cabinet minister Lord Peter Hain, who grew up in South Africa and was a leading anti-apartheid campaigner, said that the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town was “somebody on Nelson Mandela's level, who inspired millions with his honesty, his vision, his courage and his sincerity.”

Black rights activist, journalist and broadcaster Marc Wadsworth, who founded the Anti-Racist Alliance in 1991, met Archbishop Tutu in London during the campaign for justice for murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence.

He said: “It was awesome when the great Archbishop Desmond Tutu agreed to my request, when he was in London, that he should give his support to an Anti-Racist Alliance demo I organised in 1993 and stand side by side with Doreen and Neville Lawrence.

“At the time, no British politician or faith leader would do that for the families of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence and an Afghan student, Ruhullah Aramesh, who was also killed by racist thugs in south London.”

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: “He was the rainbow leader. He didn’t stick with one group. 

“He defended the rights of LGBT people in the constitution. He defended the rights of former enemies.”

Archbishop Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his more than six decades of work against apartheid.

He led South Africa’s Peace and Reconciliation Commission, which was established in 1996 to help the new South Africa recover peacefully from the crimes of the apartheid regime.

Archbishop Tutu’s country has entered a week of mourning, with President Cyril Ramaphosa saying: “In the days to come we will mourn this global icon of peace and freedom. 

"We will recount his achievements, we will recall his teachings and we will cherish fond memories of this man who always tempered criticism with compassion.”

Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, said: “I’m saddened to learn of the death of a global sage, human rights leader and powerful pilgrim on Earth. 

“We are better because he was here.”