US Senator John McCain dies aged 81

Washington : US Senator John McCain, the Vietnam war hero turned senator and presidential candidate, has died aged 81.

McCain died on Saturday surrounded by his family, according to a statement released by his office, BBC reported.

He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in July 2017 and had been undergoing medical treatment.

His family announced McCain, who left Washington in December, had decided to stop treatment on Friday.

The six-term senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee was diagnosed after doctors discovered his tumour during surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye last July.

The son and grandson of Navy admirals, McCain was a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. When his plane was shot down, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war.

While in the custody of his captors, he suffered torture that left him with lasting disabilities.