Obama's grandmother dies a day before election

This photo provided by the presidential campaign
of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., shows Obama in
1979 during his high school graduation in Hawaii
with his grandmother Madelyn Lee Payne
Dunham.

03 November, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Barack Obama says that his grandmother has died. The Democratic presidential candidate announced the news in a joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng. He said his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, had died peacefully after a battle with cancer.

He said: "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances."

The candidate learned of her death Monday morning while he was campaigning in Jacksonville, Fla. He planned to go ahead with campaign appearances.

Late last month, Obama took a break from campaigning and flew to Hawaii to be with the 86-year-old Dunham, who helped raise him. - AP