Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe - one of the most ruthless and murderous tyrants of modern times - has died aged 95.

The brutal ex-dictator - who had a reign of terror lasting nearly 40 years - died in Singapore, where he was receiving medical care, on Friday morning.

Cars began honking horns and people cheered in the streets of Harare as the news spread and those who suffered under the strongman's oppressive regime celebrated his death in a Singapore hospital.

Mugabe was championed as a liberation hero and advocate of racial reconciliation when he came to power following almost a century of white colonial rule.

But his savage reign over the former British colony was dominated by murder, bloodshed, torture, corruption, human rights abuses, persecution of political opponents, intimidation and vote-rigging on a grand scale.

(Image: Instagram(@gxshxngo))

The final photos of Mugabe - once banned from entering Britain - show him looking frail in a wheelchair in the Southeast Asian country last June.

The former leader, who was ousted from power almost two years ago and was controversially granted immunity from prosecution, had been receiving care in a Singapore hospital for several months.

His cause of death was not announced. When he was forced out of office he declared that he wanted to die in Zimbabwe.

Current President Emmerson Mnangagwa confirmed the death, tweeting: "It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe's founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe.

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"Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people.

"His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest eternal peace."

But despite the tributes from African leaders, Mugabe was remembered more for the terror and turmoil he brought during his almost never-ending rule of Zimbabwe, where he unleashed death squads and plunged many into poverty as he trashed the economy and led a lavish lifestyle.

Mugabe first became prime minister upon independence in 1980, serving in that role until 1987, when the government amended the constitution and he was declared president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

ROBERT MUGABE DEAD - RISE AND FALL OF THE LEADER ACCUSED OF BEING A DICTATOR

It gave him the power to dissolve parliament, declare martial law and run for as many terms as he wanted as he governed with an iron fist.

But he was ousted from power in a coup by his own military in November 2017.

He was put under house arrest and forced to resign amid fears he would transfer power to his deeply unpopular wife Grace - now 54 and known for lavish shopping sprees in London - during an internal struggle that led to Mnangagwa being sacked.

The despot maintained a close relationship with Britain after the end of colonial rule and made several visits to meet with the Royal Family and prime ministers.

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He was awarded an honorary knighthood by the Queen during a state visit to the UK in May 1994 but he was stripped of it in 2008 after becoming a power-obsessed autocrat.

In November, Mnangagwa said Mugabe was no longer able to walk when he had been admitted to a hospital in Singapore, without saying what treatment Mugabe had been undergoing.

Officials often said he was being treated for a cataract, denying frequent private media reports that he had prostate cancer.

His son shared photos of him looking weak in a wheelchair in June.

The reaction to his death was split - he was condemned as a villain for his atrocities and praised by his supporters and foreign governments for his work to liberate Zimbabwe from colonial rule.

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Most statements issued by foreign governments overlooked his abuses.

A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "There will be mixed emotions in Zimbabwe at today's news.

"We of course express our condolences to those who mourn but know that for many he was a barrier to a better future.

"Under his rule the people of Zimbabwe suffered greatly as he impoverished their country and sanctioned the use of violence against them.

"His resignation in 2017 marked a turning point and we hope that today marks another which allows Zimbabwe to move on from the legacy of its past and become a democratic, prosperous nation that respects the human rights of its citizens."

Labour MP Kate Hoey, formerly the chairwoman of the all-party Parliamentary group on Zimbabwe and a longtime critic of the ex-president, tweeted: "Mugabe brought independence to Zimbabwe and then killed in the Gukurahundi-up to 80,000 of his own citizens in Matabeleland and brought his country to its knees economically. A hero to a brutal dictator."

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The Gukurahundi was the massacres of Ndebele civilians carried out by the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade of the Zimbabwe National Army in a bid to crush dissidents in the 1980s.

Mugabe was blamed for having orchestrated the killings, and had signed an agreement with North Korean President Kim Il-sung to have Pyongyang's military train a brigade for Zimbabwe's army.

The US embassy in Harare tweeted: "The United States extends its condolences to the Mugabe family and the people of Zimbabwe as they mourn the passing of former President Robert Mugabe.

"We join the world in reflecting on his legacy in securing Zimbabwe's independence."

Born in then-Rhodesia, Mugabe became a guerrilla leader as he co-founded the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) in 1963, a resistance movement against British colonial rule.

He became prime minister in 1980 of the new Republic of Zimbabwe to guide the country towards "democracy" after 14 years of rebellion against the Crown, headed by white Southern Rhodesian leader Ian Smith.

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He assumed the role of president seven years later.

In 2000 he led a campaign to evict white farmers from their land, which was given to black Zimbabweans, and led to famine.

His henchmen attacked and often murdered white farmers, burning their homes, looting their possessions and confiscating their land.

His political opponents were often beaten, sexually abused and sometimes charged with treason and homosexual offences.

The economy of the mineral-rich country descended into chaos with thousands of people reduced to grinding poverty, many of them suffering from near-starvation and worse.

At one point in 2008 inflation hit the rate of 231million per cent. A loaf of bread cost millions of Zimbabwe dollars as people lived in despair.

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Mugabe lived in the opulent presidential palace and didn't bother to hide his lavish lifestyle as Zimbabweans suffered.

When he turned 91 in 2015 he threw himself an extravagant birthday bash at a posh lodge, where he dined on wild animals, including a baby elephant, and was feted by more than 20,000 guests.

Mugabe retained a strong grip on power until he was forced to resign in November 2017, at age 93.

His resignation triggered wild celebrations across the country of 13million.

Mugabe denounced his removal as an "unconstitutional and humiliating" act of betrayal by his party and people, and it left him a broken man.

At the time, a letter from Mugabe read out in Zimbabwe's parliament said: "My decision to resign is voluntary on my part and arises from my concern for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and my desire for a smooth, non-violent transfer of power."

Mugabe, who had been the world's oldest head of state at 93, was replaced by Mnangagwa, who had recently been fired as Mugabe's vice-president.

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However the Zimbabwean leader was given the royal treatment on his state visit to the UK 25 years ago, including a carriage ride with the Queen and a lavish banquet.

The invitation was extended despite his reported involvement in the deaths of 10,000 people during a crackdown of opposition parties.

He was awarded the Honorary Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Bath only for the honour to be withdrawn in 2008.

Mugabe's relationship with the Commonwealth, which he dubbed an "Anglo-Saxon unholy alliance", was always stormy.

Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth in March 2002, after Mugabe had been denounced for vote-rigging his own re-election.

Mugabe and other officials were banned from entering the EU due to sanctions imposed following the presidential election which was deemed illegitimate.

During the Commonwealth heads of government conference a year later, Mugabe quit the Commonwealth of his own volition while member states were arguing about Zimbabwe's future.

In 2017 Mugabe was controversially granted immunity from prosecution - with cast-iron assurances that his safety would be protected in his home country as part of the deal that led to his resignation.

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Mugabe, then 93, told negotiators he did not want to live in exile and wanted to die in Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa, the former vice president sacked by Mugabe earlier that month, was then sworn in.