Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer, according to the Chicago Tribune. Dunham was 86 years old.

Just last month, Obama took some time off from his campaign to travel to Hawaii and visit his grandmother, whose health had deteriorated.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer,” Obama and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, said in a joint statement. “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. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.”

Grandma Dunham helped raise Obama and was one of the most important people in his life.

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