Just hours after Kader Asmal's death, his son, Adam, put on a brave face and joined the media huddled in the cold outside the family's house in Rosebank, Cape Town.

Asmal offered photographers a shot of whisky - his father's favourite - to warm up.

"Have a shot - even if it is just on my father," he said.

At a formal dinner of the SA Brandy Foundation, in 1999, Asmal told guests: "This is an occasion when I should declare my interest in relation to brandy versus whisky, without further ado. For, as you know, it is incumbent on parliamentarians and ministers to declare their interests, and we are here to salute brandy and its responsible consumption.

"So I must declare that, if I do have the odd diverting dram, it is whiskey, spelt with an 'e', the Irish way. In fact, it is generally totally misspelled, the more correct being P A D D Y," he said.

"I mention this in case any of tonight's esteemed audience passes through Heathrow duty-free and is heretical enough to purchase some Paddy on my behalf."

A statement was prepared by the family and distributed to the press a few hours after his death.

"Louise Asmal and the family thank you for all the support and good wishes that they have been receiving," the statement read.

Yesterday, the family spokesman, Allan Taylor, said Asmal's wife of 50 years was "taking strain" and the reality of his death was starting to sink in.

"She is receiving a lot of visitors and support. To get a chance to really mourn has been difficult," said Taylor.

He said the private family funeral would go ahead as planned and the memorial service was being organised by the ANC.

It was Asmal's wish that his body be cremated.

Tributes to the struggle hero continue to stream in.

ANC Women's League president Angie Motshekga said Asmal played a major role in drafting the league's constitution before the unbanning of the ANC.

"More saddening is the fact that Comrade Kader has left our shores when tears are still fresh in our eyes, when we are still battling to come to terms with the passing on of ANC veteran and struggle icon Mama Sisulu," said Motshekga.

Former president Thabo Mbeki, in Addis Ababa to facilitate negotiations between Sudanese factions ahead of the "imminent independence of South Sudan", described Asmal as an outstanding fighter for liberation and one of the architects of South African democracy.

Mbeki had known Asmal since his days of exile in Ireland.

"All of us will miss his questioning mind, which made him a valuable member of the collective which had the privilege to lead our people over a number of decades.

"South Africa has indeed lost one of its outstanding sons," said Mbeki.

Former president FW de Klerk added his voice to the tributes paid to the 76-year-old. "He lent colour, humour and intelligence to our political debate. Almost to the moment of his death he remained a fearless champion of the democratic values that underlie our Constitution. South Africa will miss him," said De Klerk.

After Asmal retired from parliament in 2008 he was appointed an extraordinary professor of the University of the Western Cape.

The university said: "He impressed all who knew him with his kindness, caring attitude and his passion for human rights and the betterment of the lives of ordinary South Africans. After his retirement he tirelessly continued to make his contributions as a public intellectual, urging South Africans to treasure our hard-fought-for democracy through the practice of tolerance and humanity."

•  Asmal will receive an official funeral, the presidency said yesterday. President Jacob Zuma had also declared a period of national mourning from today until the evening of cremation, said presidential spokesman Harold Maloka.