Breaking News: F.W. de Klerk, the former South African president who ended the apartheid system he had defended and freed Nelson Mandela, has died at 85.

 [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0TbaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMS8xMS93b3JsZC9hZnJpY2EvZnctZGUta2xlcmstZGVhZC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTYwJmVtYz1lZGl0X25hXzIwMjExMTExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTAmbmw9YnJlYWtpbmctbmV3cyZyZWY9Y3RhJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NDExMSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) | [nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0SmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTYwJmVtYz1lZGl0X25hXzIwMjExMTExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTAmbmw9YnJlYWtpbmctbmV3cyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NzQxMTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjHz8jGEjYVxGUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [The New York Times]  BREAKING NEWS [F.W. de Klerk, the former South African president who ended the apartheid system he had defended and freed Nelson Mandela, has died at 85.](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0TgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMS8xMS93b3JsZC9hZnJpY2EvZnctZGUta2xlcmstZGVhZC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTYwJmVtYz1lZGl0X25hXzIwMjExMTExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTAmbmw9YnJlYWtpbmctbmV3cyZyZWY9aGVhZGxpbmUmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc0MTExJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYx8_IxhI2FcRlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) Thursday, November 11, 2021 6:18 AM EST A member of a prominent Afrikaner family, Mr. de Klerk had supported the separation of the races during his climb up the political ladder. But once he took over as president in 1989, he stunned his deeply divided nation, and the wider world, by reconsidering South Africa’s racist ways. [Read the latest](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0TbaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMS8xMS93b3JsZC9hZnJpY2EvZnctZGUta2xlcmstZGVhZC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTYwJmVtYz1lZGl0X25hXzIwMjExMTExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTAmbmw9YnJlYWtpbmctbmV3cyZyZWY9Y3RhJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NDExMSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)  ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0R4aHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9NjI2NTkmbGF5b3V0PW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImbT1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZwPU5BXzIwMjExMTExVwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~ ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0SBaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjI5NyZsYXlvdXQ9bmV3c2xldHRlciZzej0xMTZ4MTUmbT1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZwPU5BXzIwMjExMTExVwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~ ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0SBaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9OTYxNDkmbGF5b3V0PW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImc3o9Njl4MTUmbT1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZwPU5BXzIwMjExMTExVwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~ You received this email because you signed up for NYTimes.com’s Breaking News Alerts. To stop receiving these emails, [unsubscribe](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P4QlAWh0dHBzOi8vbXlhY2NvdW50Lm55dGltZXMuY29tL3NlZy91bnN1YnNjcmliZS9OQS83YzBkZDE4YjhjNWU3YmZiOTVjYWU1YWI2M2VkOTllN2UzNTAxMDY4NmUyYmZiYTQ3NWZhY2RmMTQ3ZGM5NjkwZjdhNWY2YzIxNWI4NzEzMThiNjIzMzFlZDJjYjVkZjU_ZXQ9N2MwZGQxOGI4YzVlN2JmYjk1Y2FlNWFiNjNlZDk5ZTdlMzUwMTA2ODZlMmJmYmE0NzVmYWNkZjE0N2RjOTY5MGY3YTVmNmMyMTViODcxMzE4YjYyMzMxZWQyY2I1ZGY1Jmdyb3VwPW5sJnByb2R1Y3Q9TkEmc2VnbWVudD03NDExMSZzZW5kX2lkPTc0MTExVwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) or [manage your email preferences](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0SfaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9lbWFpbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD02MCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9uYV8yMDIxMTExMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0wJm5sPW5hJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NDExMSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~). [Subscribe to the Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0S4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3Vic2NyaXB0aW9uP2NhbXBhaWduSWQ9OVJYNzgmY2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NjAmZW1jPWVkaXRfbmFfMjAyMTExMTEmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MCZubD1uYSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NzQxMTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjHz8jGEjYVxGUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [Get the NYT app](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0S_aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9zZXJ2aWNlcy9tb2JpbGUvaW5kZXguaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD02MCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9uYV8yMDIxMTExMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0wJm5sPWJyZWFraW5nLW5ld3MmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc0MTExJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYx8_IxhI2FcRlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [Change Your Email](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0SvaHR0cHM6Ly9teWFjY291bnQubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vbWVtL2VtYWlsLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NjAmZW1jPWVkaXRfbmFfMjAyMTExMTEmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MCZubD1uYSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NzQxMTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjHz8jGEjYVxGUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [Privacy Policy](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0S8aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9yZWYvbWVtYmVyY2VudGVyL2hlbHAvcHJpdmFjeS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTYwJmVtYz1lZGl0X25hXzIwMjExMTExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTAmbmw9bmEmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc0MTExJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYx8_IxhI2FcRlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [Contact](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0S9aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9jb250ZW50L2hlbHAvY29udGFjdC9kaXJlY3RvcnkuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD02MCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9uYV8yMDIxMTExMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0wJm5sPW5hJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NDExMSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [Advertise](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0SZaHR0cDovL255dG1lZGlha2l0LmNvbT9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD02MCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9uYV8yMDIxMTExMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0wJm5sPW5hJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NDExMSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [California Notice](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjb4F8P0S0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vcHJpdmFjeS9jYWxpZm9ybmlhLW5vdGljZT9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD02MCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9uYV8yMDIxMTExMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0wJm5sPW5hJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NDExMSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMfPyMYSNhXEZSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) The New York Times Company, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018 Â