Elizabeth Edwards Dead At 61

Elizabeth Edwards has died.

The political wife, whose public battle with breast cancer, coping with marital infidelity, and continued advocacy for the resilence shot her to the top of bestsellers’ lists, died Tuesday morning at her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She was 61. The mother of four was surrounded by family and friends as she peacefully passed away, according to an Edwards Family rep. It was only Monday that the publicist for the family went public with the news that Elizabeth’s doctors had informed her that her cancer had spread to her liver, rendering all further treatment useless.

“Today we have lost the comfort of Elizabeth’s presence but she remains the heart of this family,” the Edwards’ statement said. “We love her and will never know anyone more inspiring or full of life.”

Edwards, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in Nov. 2004, at the time her husband John, a one-term Democratic senator from North Carolina was John Kerry’s running mate in that year’s presidential election. She beat the disease that time, but in 2007 — at the start her husband’s 2008 presidential campaign — Edwards learned that the cancer had returned and spread. Despite her bleek diagnosis, Elizabeth became a beacon of hope for many cancer survivors around the country. They appreciated her courage and grace.

A former attorney, Elizabeth joins her eldest son in eternal rest. In 1996, 16-year-old Wade Edwards, was killed in a car accident.

On Monday, Edwards issued a final message to her friends and supporters via her Facebook page: “I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that.”