People around the world mourn Mikhail Gorbachev and remember the legacy of the deceased. Arnold Schwarzenegger also pays tribute to the former President of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev was his "hero", according to California's ex-governor.
In an Instagram post, Arnold Schwarzenegger mourned the loss of Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in Moscow on Tuesday at the age of 91. "There's an old saying, 'Never meet your heroes.' I think that's some of the worst advice I've ever heard."
Gorbachev was "one of my heroes," writes the former governor of California and Hollywood star in his dedication. "And it was an honor and a pleasure to meet him. I was incredibly lucky to call him a friend. We can all learn from his amazing life."
"He will always be remembered as a hero who dismantled the communist system despite what it meant for his own power," Schwarzenegger recalls of the Nobel Peace Prize winner's legacy. He showed the wisdom and courage to "look around and say, 'This isn't working for people, someone has to fix it. If not me, who? If not now, when?'"
The former Soviet leader is now part of history and "I know that he is overjoyed to be reunited with his beloved Raisa, one of the greatest love stories of all time". In the end, the 75-year-old adds: "Hopefully when someone sees an opportunity to make a difference and leave a better world for the next generation, they think of Gorbachev and ask themselves: 'If not me, then who? If not now, when?' I know I will."
Other celebrities, including politicians in particular, also paid tribute to Gorbachev on social media. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for example, wrote on Twitter: "A courageous reformer, a far-sighted politician and statesman died with him. His courage for change, his will to transparency and his inflexibility made him what he was."
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote in a statement that she heard the news of Gorbachev's death with great sadness. Gorbachev was a "unique world politician". "May the memory of his historic achievement make it possible to pause, especially during these terrible weeks and months of Russia's war against Ukraine," the former Chancellor continued. "Gorbachev wrote world history. He showed how a single statesman can change the world for the better". Without Gorbachev's courage "in glasnost and perestroika, i.e. in openness and restructuring, the peaceful revolution in the GDR would not have been possible."
Several foreign politicians had previously commented on Gorbachev's death. US President Joe Biden praised him as a "man with a remarkable vision". After decades of brutal political repression, he advocated democratic reforms in the Soviet Union. Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: "I have always admired the courage and integrity he showed in bringing the Cold War to a peaceful end."
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin is said to have expressed his deepest sympathy for the death of Mikhail Gorbachev. Peskov announced that Putin would send the family a telegram in the morning.
