we go to don lemon in harlem. he has much more. >> reporter: there's a tribute in lights on the marquee of the world famous apollo theater. nelson mandela felt a kinship to new york city but especially to harlem. this is where many people if they live africa they come here to live. there's a place not far from where i am that's called little africa. many south africans came here, called this home, escaping apartheid. it was one of the first places he came to visit after he left prison in 1990. this is one of the first places to pay tribute to him. from the white house to buckingham palace, the entire world remembers a man who changed it forever. >> he taught us world peace. he taught us how to love. >> i thought he was a great man because he kept his people from rising up after they gained their freedom. >> he has empowered each and every one of us. >> reporter: nelson mandela, a man who spent 27 years behind bars, now eulogized by presidents and monarchs. in washington, flags at the white house were lowered to half-staff. president obama spoke of the man who inspired him.