Ted Kennedy Dead at 77

[Countryguy63]

Watching it on the news now

 

[Principessa]

Ted Kennedy Dies of Brain Cancer at Age 77
'Liberal Lion' of the Senate Led Storied Political Family After Deaths of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy

Aug. 26, 2009—

Sen. Edward Moore Kennedy, the youngest Kennedy brother who was left to head the family's political dynasty after his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, has died at age 77. Known as the "liberal lion of the Senate," Kennedy championed health care reform, working wages and equal rights in his storied career. In August, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- by President Obama. His daughter, Kara Kennedy, accepted the award on his behalf. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, known as Ted or Teddy, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in May 2008 and underwent a successful brain surgery soon after that. But his health continued to deteriorate, and Kennedy suffered a seizure while attending the luncheon following President Barack Obama's inauguration. For Kennedy, the ascension of Obama was an important step toward realizing his goal of health care reform.

At the Democratic National Convention in August 2008, the Massachusetts Democrat promised, "I pledge to you that I will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate when we begin the great test." Sen. Kennedy made good on that pledge, but ultimately lost his battle with cancer. Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 1962, at the age of 30, and his tenure there would span four decades. A hardworking, well-liked politician who became the standard-bearer of his brothers' liberal causes, his career was clouded by allegations of personal immorality and accusations that his family's clout helped him avoid the consequences of an accident that left a young woman dead. But for the younger members of the Kennedy clan, from his own three children to those of his brothers JFK and RFK, Ted Kennedy -- once seen as the youngest and least talented in a family of glamorous overachievers -- was both a surrogate father and the center of the family. And certainly it was Ted Kennedy who bore many of the tragedies of the family -- the violent deaths of four of his siblings, his son's battle with cancer, and the death of his nephew John F. Kennedy Jr. in a plane crash.

May God finally give peace to his troubled soul. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

I would like for this thread to focus on condolences and the good works Senator Kennedy did in his life and not the more notorious acts like Chappaquiddick.

 

[D_Portelay Porquesword]

RIP Ted.

 

[unabear09]

DAMN! I hate to see/hear this, but the last time I saw him on tv, he was horribly frail, and I knew it wasn't going to be much longer. May he rest in peace.

 

[Flashy]

yup

just saw this

sort of strange...all but one of the 1st generation of Kennedy kids now gone....Eunice and Ted under two weeks apart...Jean Kennedy Smith the only one left.

i couldn't stand Ted Kennedy, but he leaves a massive void.

 

[B_Nick8]

We all knew it was coming but I still find it terribly sad. It's the end of an era and a legacy foreshortened.

 

[Krusader]

RIP Mister Kennedy

 

[B_Nick8]

Ted Kennedy was a mirror to us all, showing us both the tragedy of human weakness and the greatness of human aspiration.

 

[D_Ivana Dickenside]

this is the first that i've heard of his death. thank you for posting it, njqt. RIP edward kennedy.

 

[swordfishME]

Expected but still a shock.

 

[cdarro]

Sad to hear. I always felt some sympathy for the man, having to live up to the legacy of his brothers. May he rest in peace.

 

[B_Enough_for_Me]

Meh. *shrug*

 

[HazelGod]

Sad for his family, of course...but his exit from the Senate was long overdue.

Our forebears fought and died to escape government by heredity, yet we seemed bound and determined to keep our feudal pasts alive. It's beyond ridiculous that sitting members of the chamber literally have to die before even the possibility of new blood becomes reality.

 

[Lex]

Ted Kennedy was a champion of forward-thinking causes when many others were stuck in their own intertia--integration, health care reform, women's liberties. I hope that they eventually honor him with something named in his memory.

 

[houtx48]

vio con dios................

 

[hotman911]

RIP. Some liked the man some didn't. We all knew it was coming. My he now be with his brothers.

 

[MASSIVEPKGO_CHUCK]

Damn, RIP Teddy.

 

[B_Stronzo]

" For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."


• Senator Edward Moore Kennedy addressing Democratic National Convention, August 1980.

An era is gone.

 

[B_Artful Dodger]

Anyone who gets to 77 should be considered lucky but of course its sad when anyone dies...

 

[B_VinylBoy]

We all knew it was coming but I still find it terribly sad. It's the end of an era and a legacy foreshortened.

Couldn't have said it any better. RIP, Ted.