Tributes poured in for US Senator Ted Kennedy following his death from brain cancer, with world leaders hailing "a great American" who was a tireless campaigner for peace and social welfare.
President Barack Obama said he was "heartbroken" over the death of the senator, saying his demise ended an important dynastic chapter in US political life.
"Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy," Obama said in a statement, issued as he holidayed in the well-heeled east coast resort of Martha's Vineyard.
"An important chapter in our history has come to an end. 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 died late on Tuesday at home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, not far from Obama's holiday spot, after fighting brain cancer for more than a year.
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a statement: "He is admired around the world as the senator of senators. He led the world in championing children's education and health care, and believed that every single child should have the chance to realise their potential to the full."
"Even facing illness and death he never stopped fighting for the causes which were his life's work," Brown added.
During a 47-year career in Congress, Kennedy carved out a reputation as the leading proponent of health care reform - a cause which is being taken up by President Barack Obama.
Kennedy also played a significant role in establishing peace in Northern Ireland, helping to smooth the negotiations which led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
He was awarded an honorary knighthood by Britain for his efforts.
Brown's predecessor Tony Blair, who oversaw the Good Friday negotiations, praised Kennedy's "passionate commitment" to the peace process.
"Senator Kennedy was a figure who inspired admiration, respect and devotion, not just in America but around the world," he said.
"He was a true public servant committed to the values of fairness, justice and opportunity.
"I saw his focus and determination first hand in Northern Ireland where his passionate commitment was matched with a practical understanding of what needed to be done to bring about peace and to sustain it."
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen paid tribute to Kennedy as a "true friend" of Ireland - and an important player in bringing peace to Northern Ireland.
"America has lost a great and respected statesman and Ireland has lost a long-standing and true friend," he said, adding that he would be remembered with "great affection and enduring respect".
"Throughout his long and distinguished career in politics, Ted Kennedy has been a great friend of Ireland. He has used his considerable influence in the world's most powerful parliament for the betterment of this island."
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on his way into talks in London with the US Middle East envoy George Mitchel, lauded Kennedy as a "great friend" of the Jewish state.
"Kennedy has been a friend for 30 years, a great American patriot, a great champion of a better world, a great friend of Israel," he said through his spokesman Mark Regev. "He'll be sorely missed."
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd hailed the senator as a "great American, a great Democrat and also a great friend of Australia".
"He has made an extraordinary contribution to American politics, an extraordinary contribution to America's role in the world," Rudd said in a statement.
"When you look at Ted Kennedy's legislative career, more than 40 years, when you look at the content of that legislative career, spanning the whole breath of public policy - health policy, social policy, foreign policy - this has been a unique political career," he added.
Kennedy's affability and capability to span the partisan divide on an array of legislative matters prompted an outpouring of condolences from those in the Republican Party as well as the Democratics.
"Given our political differences, people are sometimes surprised by how close Ronnie and I have been to the Kennedy family," Nancy Reagan, widow of Republican President Ronald Reagan, said in a statement from Los Angeles.
"But Ronnie and Ted could always find common ground, and they had great respect for one another. In recent years, Ted and I found our common ground in stem cell research, and I considered him an ally and a dear friend. I will miss him."
Her husband died in June 2004 of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
For the governor of her home state, the loss was personal.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose wife, Maria Shriver, was Kennedy's niece, said in a statement: "He was known to the world as the Lion of the Senate, a champion of social justice, and a political icon. Most importantly, he was the rock of our family: a loving husband, father, brother and uncle."
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a 2008 Republican presidential contender, recalled losing to Kennedy in a 1994 Senate race. Nonetheless, the two joined forces in 2006 to help pass a universal health insurance law in Massachusetts.
"In 1994, I joined the long list of those who ran against Ted and came up short. But he was the kind of man you could like even if he was your adversary," Romney added.
Kennedy's death came just two weeks after that of Maria Shriver's mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, one of the senator's siblings. He had attended her wake but was noticeably absent from her funeral, even though it was held near his Cape Cod home.
The Senate's top Democrat, Senator Harry Reid, labelled Kennedy the "patriarch" of the party.
The Senate majority leader promised that Congress, while mourning Kennedy's loss, would renew the push for the cause of Kennedy's life - health care reform.
"Ted Kennedy's dream was the one for which the founding fathers fought and for which his brothers sought to realise," Reid said in a statement. "The liberal lion's mighty roar may now fall silent, but his dream shall never die."
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