Sen. John McCain‘s wife, Cindy McCain, issued a statement minutes after his death Saturday.
“My heart is broken,” Cindy wrote on Twitter. “I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the the place he loved best.”
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McCain died on Saturday in Arizona, more than a year after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. On Friday, his family announced he would no longer be receiving treatment for the disease.
“The entire McCain family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from around the world. Thank you,” Cindy wrote on Friday.
Cindy was McCain’s second wife. The two married in 1980 and are parents to four children, including The View co-host Meghan McCain.
In her own statement, Meghan praised her father for inspiring her.
“My father is gone, and I miss him as only an adoring daughter can,” Meghan wrote. “But in this loss, and in this sorrow, I take comfort in this: John McCain, hero of the republic and to his little girl, wakes today to something more glorious than anything on this earth. Today the warrior enters his true and eternal life, greeted by those who have gone before him, rising to meet the Author of All Things: ‘The dream is ended; this is the morning.”
Cindy appeared on The View with her daughter in February, where she defended her husband against criticism from President Donald Trump.
“We need more compassion, we need more empathy, we need more togetherness in terms of working together,” Cindy, who has fought to raise awareness of human trafficking, said in February. “We don’t need more bullying, and I’m tired of it!”
In Arizona, the topic of replacing McCain with Cindy to serve out the rest of his current term through 2022 became a topic of debate among Republican gubernatorial candidates. However, incumbent Governor Doug Ducey refused to speak of the idea out of respect for McCain’s family.
“This is a genuine American hero who is battling for his life, fighting a deadly disease. I, for one, think he has earned Arizona’s and America’s respect,” Ducey said in May. “What he’s got from me is my support and my prayers. To me, there is no vacancy. He is our senator until 2022.”
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