Alliance Leader Naomi Long has said: “It is with great sadness that I have learnt of the passing of John Hume this morning. My thoughts are with his friends and family – including his political family within the SDLP.

“Without the hard work and sacrifice of people like John Hume, we would not live in the Northern Ireland we do today.

“His enormous contribution to the peace process, to the ending of violence and determination to deliver a society built on equality for everyone will be his lasting legacy. His was a life well lived.

“A giant in Northern Ireland’s history, he was also a devoted family man and I have fond memories of seeing him with his wife Pat in Greencastle in his later years. This is a sad day for many.”