Former Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III dies at 61

Manila — Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, former Philippine President and the son of two of Asia's most prominent democracy icons, has passed away at the age of 61. His family said on Thursday that he'd died peacefully of renal failure as a result of diabetes.

"Mission accomplished, Noy," his sister Pinky Aquino Abellada said. "Be happy with Mom and Dad." Aquino's father, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., a senator who was one of the staunchest critics of former President Ferdinand Marcos, was assassinated in 1983 upon his return from exile in the United States. His death galvanized a movement that eventually led to the 1986 uprising that toppled the Marcos dictatorship.