Republican Senator John McCain passes away, Donald Trump mourns

The Senator was 81.

As per BBC report, McCain was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in July last year and had been undergoing treatment.

His family said on Friday that he announced to discontinue the treatment, reports said.

He died in Arizona on Saturday.

A statement from his office read: "Senator John Sidney McCain III died at 4:28pm on August 25, 2018. With the Senator when he passed were his wife Cindy and their family. At his death, he had served the United States of America faithfully for sixty years."

McCain was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to former US President Barack Obama. 

McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy.

He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers.

During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire.

While McCain was on a bombing mission during Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese.

He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer.

The wounds that he sustained during the war left him with lifelong physical disabilities.

He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. 

US leaders mourn McCain's death:

US President Donald Trump tweeted: "My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!."

Former President George W Bush said McCain was a 'friend' whom he will 'deeply miss'.

In a statement, Bush said: "Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended. Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order. He was a public servant in the finest traditions of our country. And to me, he was a friend whom I'll deeply miss."

"Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathies to Cindy and the entire McCain family, and our thanks to God for the life of John McCain," he said.

Remembering McCain, another ex-President Barack Obama said they shared a "fidelity to something higher".

Hollywood remembers McCain:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor-turned-politician, tweeted: "I will miss Senator McCain dearly, and my thoughts are with Cindy and Senator McCain’s whole family. What I said yesterday matters even more today. Each of us must strive for his dignity, his service, his commitment to country. He showed us the way."

Actress Reese Witherspoon posted: "God Bless, #JohnMcCain . Respect for this American citizen who proudly served our country for so many years. #RIP."

Image: Wikimedia Commons