27 August,2009 08:00 AM IST | | Agencies
US President Obama said that he and his wife Michelle were "Heartbroken" to learn of the death of Senator Edward Kennedy.
The 77-year-old had been diagnosed of a malignant brain tumour in 2008 and had been operated upon but lost the battle at his home in Hyannis Port late Tuesday night.
End of chapter
"An important chapter in our history has come to an end," Obama said from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where he is on vacation.
"Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States senator of our time."
Kennedy's life was marked by triumph and tragedy as he evolved from a dubious choice for high office into one of the most influential senators in US history. He was elected into the Senate in 1962 and never left.
Help to Obama
Obama, when running for president, called him a "lion of the Senate" when he received his endorsement in January 2008.
The move helped provide critical validation for the first-term senator, effectively conferring the Kennedy family legacy on Obama's candidacy.
Kennedy will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, where his two slain brothers President John Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy are interred, according to his office.
Obama will speak at the funeral mass on Saturday, said an administration official.
