Lord Trimble, the original First Minister of Northern Ireland and co-architect of the Good Friday Agreement, has died aged 77.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Lord Trimble announce that he passed away peacefully today after a short illness,” a statement read.
His tough stance on the controversial Orange Order parades in the 1990s won him the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party.
But David Trimble was the unionist who dared to compromise and brought his party to the Stormont negotiating table.
Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), said: “I think history will remember him as a politician who, at a really difficult time, when we were trying to end 30 years of violence, despite everything, stood up and put your name to this agreement.
“This allowed us to bring peace to Northern Ireland and allowed us to progress.”
Their contribution to the peace process earned David Trimble and his nationalist counterpart John Hume the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998.
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He was the first person to be elected Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, holding the position from 1998 to 2002.
But the rise of Sinn Fein before the IRA had laid down its arms forced him to take another leap of faith.
“We’ve done our bit,” he declared in November 1999, “Mr. Adams, it’s over for you. We’ve jumped, you’re on.”
Image: Lord David Trimble with US President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair in Belfast in 2000
David Kerr was David Trimble’s press secretary during those tumultuous days of Stormont politics and knew him better than most.
He said: “I think history will be kind to David Trimble.
“I think when historians look back objectively with a longer perspective on the time period of things that happened before and after the Good Friday Agreement, I think they will understand the fundamental role it played in transforming the politics here.”
He incurred the wrath of unionists opposed to the deal, and eventually lost his Upper Bann seat in Westminster to the Democratic Unionist Party.
Elevated to the Lords, David Trimble never expressed regret for compromising, describing the Good Friday Agreement as his greatest achievement.
In a recent interview for Sky News, he said: “This was the first time we had an agreement within the political parties in Northern Ireland that was accepted by all of them.
“It gave a situation where we could proceed in a context where you could have disagreements.”
David Trimble, lawyer, academic and statesman, will be remembered for his ability to see what others could not, the potential for lasting peace.