Sen. John McCain Dies At 81, Family & Friends Pay Respects

After a long battle with brain cancer, Senator John McCain died on Aug. 25 at 4:28 p.m. He was 81 years old.

JOHN MCCAIN DIES AT 81

Earlier this week, McCain asked for his medical treatment to be discontinued, implying his death was imminent. His family was his side as he passed, and Meghan McCain, one of the war veteran’s seven children, confirmed the news through her Twitter. In her statement, Meghan expressed her gratitude for her father:

Cindy McCain, the Arizona Senator’s wife of 38 years, also expressed her sadness. She described her departed husband as an “incredible man” who “passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the place he loved best.”

Many of McCain’s former colleagues have taken to social media to offer their condolences to McCain’s family and pay their respects.

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Among the outpour of support, former President Barack Obama, who defeated McCain in the 2008 presidential race, honored his former rival. Likewise, Obama’s 2008 running mate Joe Biden expressed his sadness, as did McCain’s own running mate, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

McCain served his country for a cumulative total of 60 years, fighting in the Vietnam War and getting elected into the U.S. Senate in 1987. During his time in the Senate, McCain grew a reputation for being a maverick. McCain ran for president twice, losing to George W. Bush in the Republican primaries in 2000 and losing the general election to Obama eight years later.

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Had McCain have survived to finish his current term, he was not planning to run for re-election. This revelation came through his book titled The Restless Wave, Therein, McCain spoke of his concerns regarding the polarized political landscape, writing, “I’m freer than colleagues who will face the voters again. I can speak my mind without fearing the consequences much. And I can vote my conscience without worry.”

Regarding President Donald Trump, McCain wrote, “He has declined to distinguish the actions of our government from the crimes of despotic ones. The appearance of toughness, or a reality show facsimile of toughness, seems to matter more than any of our values.”

Owing to his contentious relationship with the incumbent president, McCain was highly critical of Trump’s performance during his summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump recently refused to reference McCain during his signing of a bill named after the veteran, although he did offer a perfunctory well wishes to McCain’s family: