an eye icon of american politics is dead. senator ted kennedy, the standard bearer unlike any other. the brother of a president, who forged his own success in washington. >> the hope rises again. and the dream lives on. >> this morning, a look at his life, his work, and his legacy.

it's wednesday, august 26th. you're watching abc news, continuing coverage of the death you're watching abc news, continuing coverage of the death of ted kennedy. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and welcome to a special edition of "america this morning." it was shortly before midnight eastern time when senator ted kennedy lost his valiant battle with brain cancer. >> kennedy guyed at his seaside home in massachusetts, surrounded by his loved ones. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy, and to you, vinita, as well. extraordinarily heavy hearts for the kennedy family here at the kennedy compound, just downed the road behind me. we learned just after midnight this evening, senator ted kennedy succumb to the brain tumor. he spent much of the time these last several months here at the kennedy compound. he's been seen out sailing. though, the family told us in recent days, the bad days have

outnumbered the good. there had been some word tha his condition had warsened in coming days. the family released a statement just a short time ago, saying edward kennedy, the husband, father, grandfather, husband and uncle, that we loved so deeply, died tuesday night, in hyannisport. the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. as you know, just off the coast of massachusettsin martha's vineyard, president obama, the first lady, and the children, are enjoying their first vacation since being elected to office. and there had been talk from secret service here at hyannisport, that the president may be checking in on the senator's progress. we do not know at this point, whether or not, and how soon the president will be visiting with the kennedy family, after himself hearing the news late last night. senator ted kennedy has succumb to the brain tumor he was

diagnosed with just a year and a half ago. the family had gathered here. his wife, vicki. the children among them. patrick kennedy, of rhode island, all by his side, in the last few hours here, saying their good-byes to their beloved patriarch, the man who became the patriarch of this kennedy family. >> david muir touching on that notion of legacy. something we watched play out over the course of five decades. hard to believe he was in that seat, taking it over at just 30 years old. and we watched his progression. and then, the sad deterioration of his health. abc's john berman joins us on the phone. he served that state longer than you've been alive. why the staying power? >> it was 1962, when he won the seat that had been held by his brother. more than 36 years -- 46 years, i can't count, he was the senator here. and he held the seat by relentless contact with his voter base and a relentless effort down on capitol hill. he fought the issues he believed in. health care, he called the cause

of his life. but again, it was constituent services. this kennedy, part of this wealthy clan, was in many ways a man of the people. he liked talking to people. being with people. he liked being out on the campaign trail. he lik hearing people's problems. and he had a staff like no one else in washington has had before or since. he had some of the top, top-natch talent. steven breyer worked for ted kennedy in one of his committee offices. it was his relentless work and his concern for the voters that really kept him going. >> looking back at his legacy, john, you have to pay tribute to in a way he was a surrogate father. not only to his three children. but to the sons of his brothers who passed away. this is a tragic loss for them. >> of course. john f. kennedy's two children. and then, the 11 children of robert kennedy. ted kennedy did serve as the patriarch of this family. it was so ironic. ted kennedy was the youngest of nine children.

it's safe to say that the at least was expected of him in the kennedy family. but it turned out, that the most was asked. he was the young, chubby kid that people made fun of. and was really the family jokester. but by a very young age. a very young age. by the death of robert kennedy in 1968, he had to become a leader of this sprawling family. and a pillar, not just for his own kids, but for so many others. >> how did the last year of his life affect his ability to do his job? and how did it also have an impact on our current president. >> reporter: i'm not standing that far from the hospital where he was diagnosed with the brain cancer. he came out waving. i remember. i was there. he had strong, valiant, courageous demeanor about him, like he was going to fight. and he did. he kept going. as much as he could. he was in the u.s. senate. not often. but briefly, not after he had surgery on the tumor. and then, he did make it to the

democratic convention. i guess it was a year ago, what? last night, when he gave the rousing speech on the floor of the convention. he made it to the inauguration. he had a troubling seizure in a lunch following the inauguration. after that, his attendance in washington, petered out quite a bit. he threw out a first pitch at the first home game at fenway park this year. that was a dramatic moment. that was in april. he was at the white house in april. and after that, it's been in the kennedy compound in hyannis. and that's where he spent his final days. >> really was a great moment. and earning that title as lion, in this respect, as well. john berman, thank you for your time. and reaction to kennedy's passing has been coming in around the world. despite his status as a liberal icon, we're hearing from democrats. nancy reagan. she said, given your differences, people have been

surprised how close ronnie and i are to the kennedy family. in recent years, ted and i found our xhen ground in stem cell research. and i considered him an allynd a dear friend. i will miss him. >> senator john mccain's spokesperson issued this -- senator mccain is very saddened to hear the news of the loss of this close and dear friend, senator kennedy, the last lion of the senate. the senator's family remains in senator mccain's thoughts and prayers. >> and this one from arnold schwarzenegger, who married into the kennedy clan. he called him the rock of our family. a loving husband, father, brother and uncle. he was a man of great faith and character. teddy inspired our country through health care reform, in his devotion to a life of public service. teddy taught us that public service isn't a hobby or an occupation. but a way of life. his legacy will weigh in. >> so many kind statements continue to roll in nationally

> >>ay with us, as we continue the coverage of the death of senator edward kennedy, at the age of 77.

this is a special edition of abc's "america this morning," as we look back at the life of senator edward kennedy, who has died at the age of 77.

>> our terry moran takes a look back at the special relationship he had with his brothers. >> reporter: they were the brothers. the kennedy men. their ambition, their ideals, their glamour, influenced generations of american politics. with the passing of ted kennedy, it's not just the end of a life, really. it's the end of an era. >> well, absolutely. especially for people who are, you know, 40 or 45 and older. and so much of our lives have been affected by these brothers. and every image that i have of my childhood of, you know, the first walk on the moon, to, you know, the civil rights struggle, it's atamped to a kennedy somehow. >> reporter: reporter susan milligan of "the boston globe" covered ted kennedy for more than a decade and co-authored the biography, "the last lion." when we see that clan, this is now passing, where did ted

kennedy fit then? >> i think that people thought he was not going to be the most successful brother. perhaps, in part, because he was a surviving brother. his mother had even commented that had she not had ted, who was kind of a surprise, and they called him the caboose, you knownumber , that she would not have had any sons after joe was killed. and then, jack and bobby. >> be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it. saw suffering and tried to heal it. saw war and tried to stop it. >> reporter: it was such a burden. ted was the youngest of the brothers. the youngest in the family. and when his brothers were cut down, first john, then bobby, the torch came to him. >> you know, it's funny, when he talked about jack kennedy. and he never said jack. when i'd interview him, he'd say

the president. or president kennedy. did that the entire time i knew him. never referred to his brothers as my brother. >> reporter: and in all of those years that you covered him, in the latter part of his career, what did you sense about the influence his brothers had on his senate life? >> i think that he felt a real obligation to carry forth their quest for civil rights, especially. and that was something that was very, very important to him, especially in his early years. continued to be. of course, healthare and education became big priorities for him. he felt he needed to carry on the quest that his brothers didn't complete. >> for all those whose cares have been our ncern, the work goes on. the cause endures. the hope still lives. and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: the dream, the kennedy dream was born in the crucible of that clan, under the

hard glare of their implacable father, joseph kennedy. when you think of the three brothers, you think of the long shadow of their father, joe kennedy. tough guy. ambitious. >> yeah. >> and shaped ted's life. >> yeah. his parents were pretty hard on him. and he was such an overachiever. his ther said he was chubby. they didn't think he was the intellectual welterweight of the family. here he is in the senate. and people think he got there because of his name. but he had something to prove. not just to massachusetts and to the senate. but to his father. i think even after his father died, that that just -- that was the driving force his entire life. >> reporter: he had so much tragedy. >> yeah. >> reporter: obviously, in his life. losing three brothers. and his own struggle with alcohol. the incident at chappaquiddick. did he ever come to terms with all that?

did he ever reach a place of peace with all that do you think? >> i'm not sure e he ever did. but i think it very much shaped the person he became in his later years. i don't know if he would have become the gregarious, welcoming person he became had he not had such a lonely childhood. i don't know if he would have dedicated so much of his life, including the e last year of hi life, when he was trying to fight for his own life, trying to help other people with health care and so forth, if he didn't feel responsible for the death of one woman. and i'm not sure he would have been the really comfortable person he was to senators, to other people, had he not suffered so much personal tragedy. >> reporter: so, the brothers are gone now. all that ambition is stilled. all that glamour will fade into history. but for so many amerans, the ideals the kennedy brothers stood and fought for represent something enduring in american politics. >> the work begin anew.

the hope rises again. and the dream lives on.

welcome back to "america this morning." abc's continuing coverage of the death of teddy kennedy. here's a live view from hyannisport, massachusetts, where the senator lost his battle with cancer just before midnight. >> throughout the course of this morning, we've heard from friends and colleaguing, they've been releasing statements. one notable came in from president obama, who was heavily supported by ted kennedy. he said michelle and i were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, ted kennedy. i will miss his wise counsel in the senate. he always had time for a new colleague. let's go to abc's john hendren on capitol hill, joining us live, where ted kennedy spent nearly five decades of his life.

john? >> reporter: good morning, jeremy and vinita. the flag of the capitol is now at half-staff. the family released a statement to say, we lost the joyous life of our lives. his faith, optimism and perseverance, will live on in our hearts forever. to most americans, ted kennedy was the staunch liberal with that famous last name. in reality, he was a legislative workhorse. in 1962, while brother john f. kennedy was in the white house, ted was elected to massachusetts' vacant senate seat. he was just 30 years old. most assumed that he would take his rightful place in the oval office. but in the summer of 1969, that all changed. kennedy drove his car off a narrow bridge on chappaquiddick island in massachusetts, resulting in the death of campaign worker mary jo ke

peckny. >> today, i formally announce i'm announcing a run for president of the united states. >> reporter: in the 1980s, ten kennedy emerged as a forge for the health care in senate. the before and during the war of iraq, kennedy became one of the loudest anti-war voices in the senate. just as he did for vietnam. in 2008, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. but kennedy would once again prove his resilience. while undergoing cancer treatment, he traveled to ken denver and gave an impassioned speech at the democratic convention. >> the work begins anew. the hope rises again. and the dream lives on. >> reporter: ted kennedy was heir to a glamorous political tradition. he was one of the longest serving senators in united states history. senator kennedy died before achieving what he called the cause of his life, national health care reform. and if president obama achieves

that this year, as he hopes to, it will be in no small part, cue to the ground work laid by the liberal lion from massachusetts. jeremy a ndvi atani?ta an> en>>whred e , wrnwetuan> e have the opportunity to hear from a political reporter that covered kennedy for years as a po wstay.h it stay with us. and abc's continuing coverage of the death of senator edward kennedy. carolina, le, ...and i smoked for 29 years. the one thing about smoking - is it dominates your life, and it dominated mine. and the sad thing about it is that you can always use an excuse if cigarettes don't kill me, oh well - something else will. but, you can't use that as an excuse. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. it was very interesting that you could smoke on the first week. chantix gave me that extra help that i needed to get through a tough time.

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welcome back to "america this morning," where we have an early glimpse of "the boston globe" with the simple headline, "kennedy dead at 77."e sad news people a are wakupup thi rning to hr. that'sright. c's ck klein usesed toto w wor r ththat newspape what happens to the c causes li healthare atathe senator wasas chonining? >> to o quote d nnedy, the drdrm go on. the caususgoesn a and theream ll nev d. i i ththink atat we' going t se inhe cing days,, ang t t rm remancefor s senator the princleles s thate stood to ththat the k kennedy dynasty and d sesenanator kekennedmsel reesented ththe e of a gegenenerationhat hahass,, in ea.es s of the comommitmtohe but t rereally, the fight is ab that future. and i think that's where we're going to see his name invoked in pushing this legislation forward.

i'm sure there will be efforts on capitol hill, to name a health care bill on his behalf. and really to buckle down, as ted kennedy will. to make sure that something is passed this year. >> it's interesting that as he underwent treatment, he was not seen that much in washington. he was physically absence, though his presence was felt, as congress was weighing some of the most sweeping revisions to health care. >> that's right. and i think it will continue to be felt throughout this year and beyond. he was really a mentor to almost every senator. he was the second-most senior senator serving currently. and so many people, democrats and republicans looked up to him. and republicans even saying in recent days, they missed his presence as a dealmaker. he was involved as much as he could be. and i know he tried to be in touch and st involved, until health just wouldn't allow it anymore. but his shadow id s going to lo over, certainly the rt ofes this congressional session. and i think for many congresses to come. >> abc's rick klein this morning. thanks, rick.

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on the heels of his passing, a lot has been said about senator ted kennedy. and there's a lot left to be said. as we leave you this morning, we want to give you some sound of ted kennedy, in his own words. >> meeting the health needs of our senior citizens is a problem that touches every child, every parent, every grandparent. it's casting a shadow over the lives of three generations of americans. my brother need not be idolized or in debt beyond what he was in life. to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it. saw suffering and tried to heal

it. saw war and tried to stop it. 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. she has gone to god. and she is home. and at this moment, she is happily presiding at a table with both of her joes. with jack, kathleen, and bobby. she will be there ready to welcome the rest of us home someday. of this, i have no doubt. our troops deserve better, mr. secretary. i think the american people deserve better. they deserve competency and they deserve the facts. in baseball, it's three strikes, you're out. what is it for the secretary of defense? this is the cause of my life. new hope. that we