Nelson Mandela has been a father figure to many, including the celebrities who couldn't stop hugging him. We round up his famous cuddles.
Nelson Mandela hugs veteran anti-apartheid activist and ex-MP Helen Suzman when she visited Mandela at his Soweto home on February 26 1990, days after his release from prison. (John Parkin, AP)
Mandela kisses his then wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at a rally in Cape Town in early 1993. (Benny Gool, AP)
Legendary singer Brenda Fassie with Mandela outside her Cape Town home on August 14 1993. (Gallo)
Mandela gets a hug from Archbishop Desmond Tutu after Mandela was sworn in as president of South Africa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on May 10 1994. (David Brauchli, AP)
Mandela and US singer Whitney Houston at the presidency on November 10 1994. (Juda Ngwenya, Reuters)
Mandela and pop star Michael Jackson at the president's official home in Cape Town on July 20 1996. (Patrick De Noirmont, Reuters)
Mandela kisses Emma Bunton, a member of the UK pop group Spice Girls, at his residence in Pretoria on November 1 1997, along with Geri Halliwell (right). (Odd Andersen, AFP)
UK supermodel Naomi Campbell is overcome with emotion as she hugs Mandela at his Cape Town home on February 13 1998. (Anna Zieminski, AFP)
US former president Bill Clinton and Mandela while on a tour of Robben Island on March 27 1998. (Reuters)
Clinton and Mandela walk arm-in-arm towards the cell in which Mandela spent 18 years while incarcerated on Robben Island. (Reuters)
Mandela kisses his wife Graça Machel in July 1998 soon after their marriage. (Herbert Mabuza, Gallo)
Mandela reaches out to hug his Libyan counterpart Muammar Gaddafi upon Gaddafi's arrival at Cape Town International Airport on June 13 1999. (Anna Zieminski, AFP)
Mandela with former president Thabo Mbeki after Mbeki was sworn in as the second democratically elected president of South Africa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on June 16 1999. (Odd Andersen, AFP)
Award-winning actress Charlize Theron with Nelson Mandela on June 19 2001. (AFP)
Mandela hugs Cuba's former president Fidel Castro during a visit to Mandela's home in Johannesburg on September 2 2001. (Chris Kotze, Reuters)
Mandela embraces his anti-apartheid comrade Walter Sisulu during his 90th birthday party at the Walter Sisulu Hall on May 18 2002. (Juda Ngwenya, Reuters)
Mandela hugs South African HIV and Aids activist Zackie Achmat after their meeting on July 27 2002. (Mike Hutchings, Reuters)
Mandela and US talk show host Oprah Winfrey during a ground-breaking ceremony for what would become the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa on December 6 2002. (Themba Hadebe, AP)
Mandela kisses US singer Beyonce Knowles at the 46664 Nelson Mandela Aids Benefit Concert in Cape Town on November 29 2003. (AP)
Mandela with singer Bono from the band U2 at the 46664 concert. (Mike Hutchings, Reuters)
Mandela meets with world-renowned soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, on March 24 2005. (Juda Ngwenya, Reuters)
Mandela with Adelaide Tambo, widow of the late Oliver Tambo, on October 27 2006. (Siphiwe Sibeko, Reuters)
Laila Ali, daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, with Mandela during a visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation on January 30 2007. (AFP)
