Update: The White House has opened up the ability to leave messages for the VP and Biden family in this time of grief.
Joseph R. Biden III, commonly known as "Beau," the son of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., died of brain cancer today, The New York Times reports.
Beau was 46. He is survived by his wife, Hallie Biden, and their two children.
The oldest son of vice president Biden, Beau was an Iraq War veteran who also served as the attorney general of Delaware. In a statement Saturday night, the vice president wrote: “It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life."
In 2013, while he was attorney general of Deleware, the younger Biden publicly supported the gender identity non-discrimination act of 2013 - SB 97, saying, "None of our citizens should be subject to violence based on their gender identity or expression." The bill became law after a close senate vote.
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Beau Biden had been struggling with severe health issues for several years, including suffering a stroke in 2010. In 2013 doctors removed a small lesion from his brain, The New York Times reports.
The death of his oldest son is not the first time the vice president has suffered a tragic loss. His first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident in 1972 that Beau and his brother survived.
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“IN THE WORDS OF THE BIDEN FAMILY: BEAU BIDEN WAS, QUITE SIMPLY, THE FINEST MAN ANY OF US HAVE EVER KNOWN.”
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Our thoughts are with the Biden family during this terribly tragic time.
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