CORNVILLE, ARIZONA—On Saturday, August 25, Republican Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain passed away after a long battle with brain cancer at his Cornville, Arizona home. He was surrounded by family at the time of his passing. McCain was 81, and would have turned 82 on Wednesday, August 29.

McCain was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, in July 2017. Doctors discovered a tumor during a medical procedure to remove a blood clot from behind his left eye. He was undergoing treatment for over a year until his family announced that he had decided to discontinue his treatment on Friday, August 24.

On Friday, his family indicated in a statement: “Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious. In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment.”

McCain will lie in the Washington Sate Capital on Friday, August 31 and there will be a national memorial service at Washington’s National Cathedral on Saturday, September 1, according to a statement from the family.

McCain’s wife, Cindy McCain tweeted: “My heart is broken. I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of a lifetime loving this incredible man for 38 years. He passed away the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the place he loved best.” His daughter and “The View” co-host, Meghan McCain took to twitter on the day of her fathers passing to write, “I love you forever—my beloved father @SenJohnMcCain.”

He became a Navy officer following his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. In 1967, McCain was captured and held as a prisoner of war for five years in Vietnam, where he was beaten and tortured. During his imprisonment, he was kept in solitary confinement by North Vietnamese until he was released in 1973. In 1982, McCain began his career in politics after he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate and was re-elected for five terms.

He ran for the U.S. presidency in 2000 failing to earn his party’s nomination, losing to George W. Bush. He ran again in 2008 against Barack Obama. After the loss in 2008, McCain returned to the Senate and focused on his role as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

McCain was known for being a maverick within the Republican Party, presenting unique opinions and standings on certain issues.  McCain is survived by his wife Cindy, his seven children and five grandchildren.

Former Vice President Joe Biden released a statement after McCain’s death this Saturday.

Barack Obama also took to Twitter to share a message about the late senator reading, “Few us have been tested the way John once was or required to show the kind of courage that he did. But all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own. At John’s best, he showed us what that means. And for that, we are in his debt.”

Written By Katie Trojano and Nina Garza