Granddaughter of the late Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected leader of South Africa, Zoleka Mandela tragically passed away at the age of 43 after suffering metastatic cancer.

On the eve of her grandmother’s birthday, while being surrounded by family and friends, she passed away from the illness after being admitted to the hospital last Monday for treatment.

Her departure on Monday night was confirmed by a family representative in a touching statement posted on Instagram.

Recently, Zoleka has been well-known for her courage in disclosing her experience with cancer treatment and her openness in talking about her battles with drug addiction, despair, and childhood sexual abuse. She chronicled her incredible life in an autobiography called “When Hope Whispers.”

Zoleka was diagnosed with breast cancer more than ten years ago. She received therapy and went into remission. Unfortunately, the disease came back, initially damaging her liver and lungs before spreading to other organs last year. Just days before she passed away, she expressed thankfulness for the opportunity to continue receiving treatment while still struggling with blood clots and lung fibrosis.