Senator John McCain is dead at 81
Senator John McCain is dead at 81 Sen. John McCain, a former Republican presidential nominee and prisoner of war, has died after a battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer just days before his 82nd birthday. John Sidney McCain III, 81, was the son and grandson of navy admirals. He was born August 29, 1936. As a naval pilot, he narrowly escaped death in a fire aboard the USS Forrestal in 1967. TIMELINE: The life of Senator John McCain Also in 1967, McCain's plane shot down over Hanoi, and he was captured by North Vietnamese troops. He was tortured during more than five years as a prisoner of war. After resettling in Arizona, McCain ran for Congress in 1982. He was called carpetbagger, but won the U.S. House seat anyway. After two terms, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, succeeding Barry Goldwater. RELATED: 10 big political moments in John McCain’s life McCain married Cindy Hensley, his second wife, in 1980. She is the daughter of a Valley beer distributor. Mc...