Arizona Senator John McCain died on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 81 years old. Shortly after his passing, his daughter Meghan McCain took to social media to pass tribute to her father, who was an American hero. McCain died following a battle with brain cancer.
“I was with my father at his end, as he was with me at my beginning,” The View host wrote. “All that I am is thanks to him. Now that he is gone, the task of my lifetime is to live up to his example, his expectations, and his love.”
McCain, a Vietnam war veteran and former presidential candidate, is survived by his wife, Cindy, and his children: Douglas, Andrew, Sidney, Meghan, John, James and Bridget.
You can read the full emotional and moving tribute below.
“My father, United States Senator John Sidney McCain III, departed this life today. I was with my father at his end, as he was with me at my beginning. In the thirty-three years we shared together, he raised me, taught me, corrected me, comforted me, encouraged me, and supported me in all things. He loved me, and I loved him. He taught me how to live. His love and his care, ever present, always unfailing, took me from a girl to a woman — and he showed me what it is to be a man.”
“All that I am is thanks to him. Now that he is gone, the task of my lifetime is to live up to his example, his expectations, and his love. My father’s passing comes with sorrow and grief for me, for my mother, for my brothers, and for my sisters. He was a great fire who burned bright, and we lived in his light and warmth for so very long. We know that his flame lives on, in each of us. The days and years to come will not be the same without my dad — but they will be good days, filled with life and love, because of the example he lived for us.”