Senator John McCain's daughter Meghan McCain has pledged to dedicate herself to living up to her father's example in an emotional tribute after his death.
Senator McCain died aged 81, surrounded by his family, after losing his battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
"All that I am is thanks to him," Ms McCain wrote in a statement. "Now that he is gone, the task of my lifetime is to live up to his example, his expectations, and his love.
Meghan McCain said her father was a "great fire who burned bright". Source: Sierra Blanco Photography
"In the 33 years we shared together, he raised me, taught me, corrected me, comforted me, encouraged me, and supported me in all things.
"He loved me, and I loved him."
The devoted daughter moved her wedding forward to November last year soon after the US Senator went public with his diagnosis.
Ms McCain wanted to make sure her father was there and able to give her away.
"He was a great fire who burned bright, and we lived in his light and warmth for so very long. We know that his flames lives on, in each of us," she said on Sunday.
Meghan McCain and Senator John McCain at the 2014 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Source: AAP
Obama praises rival's courage
Former US president Barack Obama says that his 2008 election rival John McCain shared a view of the United States as "a place where anything is possible - and citizenship as our patriotic obligation to ensure it forever remains that way".
Obama and his wife, Michelle, offered "heartfelt condolences" to the McCain family after the death of the US Republican senator and Vietnam war hero, who died on Saturday at the age of 81.
Obama said that he and McCain "were members of different generations, came from completely different backgrounds, and competed at the highest level of politics. But we shared, for all our differences, a fidelity to something higher - the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched, and sacrificed".
"Few of us have been tested the way John once was, or required to show the kind of courage that he did. But all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own," Obama said.
In a post on Twitter, McCain's wife Cindy said she was heartbroken by his death.
John McCain is remembered for defending his opponent Barack Obama as a "decent family man" during the 2008 presidential campaign. Source: AAP
"My heart is broken. I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the the place he loved best."
President Donald Trump tweeted his "deepest sympathies and respect" to the McCain family: "Our hearts and prayers are with you!"
The two Republican leaders maintained a strained relationship since Trump questioned his status as a war hero by saying: "I like people who weren't captured".
Trump also frequently criticised McCain for voting against a 2017 plan in the Senate to replace the so-called Obamacare law.
'Friend of Australia'
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison also paid tribute to the man he says "was a true friend of Australia, who was committed to strengthening the alliance between our two nations".
"He was a man of great courage and conviction. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Cindy, and all the McCain family during this time," Mr Morrison tweeted on Sunday.
Australia's Ambassador to the US Joe Hockey also paid his respects.
"People who love justice, democracy, freedom and courage will mourn this loss of an American legend."
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a fellow military officer, tweeted that McCain was "one of my dearest friends and mentor."
"America and Freedom have lost one of her greatest champions," the Republican Graham wrote on Twitter.
Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez said that McCain "always will be an American hero."
"John McCain devoted his life to serving his country," Perez tweeted.
Paul Ryan, Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, said on Friday that McCain "personifies service to our country."
