David Trimble, Tony Blair and John Hume were heavily involved in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement
Mr Blair said: “John Hume was a political titan; a visionary who refused to believe the future had to be the same as the past.
“His contribution to peace in Northern Ireland was epic and he will rightly be remembered for it. He was insistent it was possible, tireless in pursuit of it and endlessly creative in seeking ways of making it happen.
“Beyond that he was a remarkable combination of an open mind to the world and practical politics.
“In any place, in any party, anywhere, he would have stood tall.
“It was good fortune that he was born on the island of Ireland.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the North of Ireland had “lost a great man who did so much to help bring an end to the Troubles and build a better future for all”.
He described Mr Hume as “a political giant” whose vision had “paved the way for the stability, positivity and dynamism of the Northern Ireland of today”.
Reacting to news of Mr Humes’ death, former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said his decision to meet him in 1986 was a “breakthrough moment in Irish politics”.
“When others were stuck in the ritual politics of condemnation John Hume had the courage to take real risks for peace,” he said.
“John’s agreement to examine the potential of building an alternative to conflict was the mark of a political leader genuinely prepared to look at the bigger picture and to put the wider interests of society above narrow party politics.”
First Minister Arlene Foster said: “Sincere condolences to Pat and the wider Hume family.
“A giant in Irish nationalism, John left his unique mark in the House of Commons, Brussels and Washington.
“In our darkest days he recognised that violence was the wrong path and worked steadfastly to promote democratic politics.”
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