[QUOTE]Sen. Ted Kennedy died shortly before midnight Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass., at age 77. The man known as the "liberal lion of the Senate" had fought a more than year-long battle with brain cancer, and according to his son had lived longer with the disease than his doctors expected him to. "We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," the Kennedy family said in a statement. "He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it." [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kennedy"]Sen. Edward Moore Kennedy[/URL], 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. Kennedy [URL="http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/03/ted-kennedy-bac.html"]championed health care reform[/URL], working wages and equal rights in his storied career. In August, he was awarded [URL="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=8307065&page=1"]the Presidential Medal of Freedom[/URL] -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- by President Obama. His daughter, Kara Kennedy, accepted the award on his behalf. [/QUOTE]
[URL="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TedKennedy/story?id=6692022"]ABC News[/URL]