--- title: ‘Character. Courage. Integrity. Honor.’ Joe Biden Shares Heartfelt Tribute to His Friend John McCain description: Former Vice President Joe Biden joined the chorus of friends, family and supporters paying tribute to Ariz. Sen. John McCain canonical: https://time.com/5378342/john-mccain-dies-joe-biden/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-26T02:04:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:15:33.279Z article:section: Politics og:title: Joe Biden Shares Heartfelt Tribute to His Friend John McCain og:description: "To me, more than anything, John was a friend" og:url: https://time.com/5378342/john-mccain-dies-joe-biden/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55fe5edc848c3927/698938b8bc6cfcfab63e6cba/gettyimages-862141928.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: John McCain Honored With Liberty Medal For A Lifetime Of Service og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Joe Biden Shares Heartfelt Tribute to His Friend John McCain twitter:description: "To me, more than anything, John was a friend" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55fe5edc848c3927/698938b8bc6cfcfab63e6cba/gettyimages-862141928.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Character. Courage. Integrity. Honor.' Joe Biden Shares Heartfelt Tribute to His Friend John McCain by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Aug 26, 2018 2:04 AM UTC  Sen. John McCain receives the the 2017 Liberty Medal from former Vice President Joe Biden at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Penn., on Oct. 16, 2017. Sen. John McCain receives the the 2017 Liberty Medal from former Vice President Joe Biden at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Penn., on Oct. 16, 2017.William Thomas Cain—Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Aug 26, 2018 2:04 AM UTC Former Vice President Joe Biden joined the chorus of friends, family and supporters paying tribute to Ariz. Sen. John McCain, who [passed away](http://time.com/5179302/john-mccain-dies/) Saturday following a battle with brain cancer. “John McCain was many things – a proud graduate of the Naval Academy, a Senate colleague, a political opponent,” Biden said on Twitter. “But, to me, more than anything, John was a friend. He will be missed dearly.” In a statement shared shortly after the announcement of McCain’s death, Biden reflected on the Senator’s experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, his unsuccessful bid for America’s highest office and his unwavering commitment to the nation. “John McCain’s life is proof that some truths are timeless. Character. Courage. Integrity. Honor,” the statement says. “A life lived embodying those truths casts a long, long shadow.” > [](https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1033519001719263232) McCain [announced he was stopping medical treatment](http://time.com/5377364/john-mccain-stopping-medical-treatment-cancer/) for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, on Friday, a little more than a year after he revealed the diagnosis. He passed away less than 48 hours later, surrounded by his wife Cindy and his family. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5378342/john-mccain-dies-joe-biden/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5378342/john-mccain-dies-joe-biden/"},"headline":"'Character. Courage. Integrity. Honor.' 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