Sinn Fein: Northern Ireland's Martin McGuinness dies after short illness.

BELFAST: Martin McGuinness, the Irish Republican Army commander who laid down his arms to become a key architect of Northern Ireland's peace, died on Tuesday aged 66, prompting tributes from allies and former enemies alike.

The face of Irish Republicanism for many during some of the worst moments of three decades of sectarian bloodshed that killed more than 3,600 people, McGuinness remained a figure of hate for many pro-British Protestants until his death.