Sen. Edward 'Ted' Kennedy, the liberal lion of the Democratic Party and the patriarch of the United States' most famous political family, has passed away after a long battle with brain cancer.
Kennedy's family announced his death in a brief statement released early Wednesday.
He was 77 and spent more than half his life serving the state of Massachusetts as one of its senators.
"We've lost the irreplaceable centre of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," said the statement.
"We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all."
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke Wednesday morning from Martha's Vineyard, Mass. where he is on vacation with his family. He called Kennedy a colleague, counsellor and friend and said he has left an indelible mark on America, and Americans.
"The outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we have all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives," Obama said.
"His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives -- in seniors who know new dignity, in families that know new opportunity, in children who know education's promise and in all who can purse their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including myself.
On Obama's order, flags were lowered to half-staff at the White House and all federal buildings.
Kennedy will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, The Associated Press reports. It's the same location as his assassinated brothers, former President John F. Kennedy and former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
His funeral will take place Saturday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica -- commonly known as the Mission Church - in the Mission Hill neighbourhood of Boston.
White House sources say Obama will deliver a eulogy.
Kennedy's life and career were marred by tragedy and personal folly, burdened by the expectations associated with his prominent name, yet he managed to earn a place in history that was uniquely his own.
While more than 300 bills were written into U.S. law by Kennedy, no issue was closer to the wealthy New Englander's heart than universal health-care. His death comes at a moment in history when health-care reform is looming large over Washington.
Despite being considered one of the most liberal politicians on the Hill, Kennedy's willingness to work across party lines and his gregarious personality earned him respect and friendship on both sides of the aisle.
Political history
Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 1962 in a special election for the seat vacated by his brother, John F. Kennedy, when he became president. He won the next eight subsequent elections, becoming the third-longest serving senator in U.S. history.
His longevity makes it easy to forget that when he first became a senator, Kennedy was thought of as an undeserving, intellectual lightweight, riding on his brother's coat-tails.
Though he showed tremendous enthusiasm, his earlier work on John Kennedy's campaign did not seem to indicate that he had inherited his brothers' political skills. He was even expelled from Harvard for a short time for cheating -- something his opponents used as ammunition.
But following a near-fatal plane crash in 1964 that left him confined to bed for months with a life-altering back injury, Kennedy began to develop the shrewd skills of a legislator which would come to define his career.
He honed in on issues such as immigration reform, education, healthcare and civil rights -- and stayed focused on those topics for more than 40 years.
Personal struggles
But despite his many accomplishments, much of Kennedy's career and personal life were overshadowed by personal scandal.
CTV's Washington Bureau Chief Paul Workman said he "will be remembered as a great senator and as a flawed character -- as a Kennedy."
His reputation suffered as he was pegged as another Kennedy who strayed outside of marriage (his first marriage ended in divorce).
The 1969 "Chappaquiddick incident" would forever taint Kennedy, and all but ended any presidential hopes he may have had. In the incident, the car Kennedy was driving following a party ran off a bridge and plunged into the water, resulting in the drowning death of passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy swam to safety.
Kennedy's failure to report the accident to police for nearly nine hours was widely condemned. The senator pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was given a suspended sentence.
The tragedy would hang over his career and life for many years to come.
A decade later in 1979, Kennedy bowed to intense public and political pressure and entered the presidential race, challenging sitting Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter. After a rocky campaign he lost to Carter in the primaries but still managed to grab the limelight at the party's convention with a stirring speech.
Through the Reagan presidency, Kennedy's personal behavior was the subject of tabloid reports about his drinking and womanizing. But his 1992 marriage to Victoria Reggie seemed to stabilize his life, and his reputation.
He continued to work hard on the issues that were close to his heart; health care, immigration, the plight of the poor.
In 2006 Kennedy became the second longest serving senator, after Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
Brain surgery
On May 20, 2008, doctors announced Kennedy had a malignant brain tumor, diagnosed after he experienced a seizure at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport, Massachusetts. The next month he underwent brain surgery.
His appearances on the Senate floor became few and far between. But despite his failing health, Kennedy managed to attend the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009.
The "Lion of the Senate" will roar no more.
Kennedy was the youngest of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He is survived by his wife Victoria and his three children from his first marriage.
