Former Democratic Unionist Party leader, Dr. Ian Paisley has passed away. His wife, Eileen, confirmed the news this afternoon. He was 88.
In a statement, his wife Eileen said "My beloved husband, Ian, entered his eternal rest this morning. Although ours is the grand hope of reunion, naturally as a family we are heartbroken.
"We loved him and he adored us, and our earthly lives are forever changed. According to Ian's wishes his funeral will be private and attended only by the immediate family, as will be his burial."
"As a family we appreciate that there will be an expectation by those who admired him to express their gratitude for his life and their sorrow at his passing. To that end we will in due course publish details of a public memorial service which, will be scheduled later in the year."
"There will be no further comment or statements made by me or the family at this time."
Ian Paisley became a household name in 1985 to some 200,000 people with the 'Ulster says No' to the Anglo Irish agreement.
He also campaign against what he called a 'perversion' and was central to the Drumcree conflict in 1995 - where he marched hand-in-hand with David Trimble down the Garvaghy Road.
He was opposed to the Good Friday Agreement because of the involvement of Sinn Féin but he won a seat in the subsequent assembly and by 2006, Paisley began the groundwork for a power-sharing deal.
He founded the Democratic Unionist Party and the Free Presbyterian Church. When Pope John Paul II visited the European Parliament, Mr Paisley was expelled for calling him the "anti-Christ".
Tributes paid to former DUP leader Dr Ian Paisley
The gay community incurred his wrath too. With a high-profile campaign entitled 'Save Ulster from Sodomy', Ian Paisley resisted the decriminalising of homosexuality in Northern Ireland during the 1970s.
When journalists came knocking, he sometimes asked to smell their breath before answering questions to ensure they had not drunk "the devil's buttermilk". He never gave interviews on "the Sabbath".
By 2007, Northern Ireland had changed and so had the outspoken cleric. He shared power with his enemy, Martin McGuinness. Often pictured laughing together, they were branded, "the Chuckle Brothers".
On the day they took office together, Ian Paisley said: "If anybody had told me a few years ago that I would be doing this, I would have been unbelieving".
Clandestine protests in the darkness were forgotten but he never lost his sense of humour. During a meeting with the Irish Taoiseach, he requested boiled eggs "because they'd be hard to poison".
In Pictures: The life of Ian Paisley
Married to Eileen for 57 years, he described her as his "chief of staff". Criticism of "the big man" always bothered her much more than it did him.
In an interviewto mark his 80th birthday in 2006, he said "I have a hide like a rhinoceros. It doesn't affect me at all. I have tried to be absolutely honest and I believe that's been the secret of my success."
He stepped down as Northern Ireland's First Minister in 2008 and became Lord Bannside. He only retired from preaching ministry in January 2012 and began writing his memoirs.
He had been ill for some time.
