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Roberta McCain, mother of late-GOP Sen. John McCain, dies at 108 years old

Senator McCain died in 2018.

Published: October 12, 2020 3:19pm

Updated: October 12, 2020 6:03pm

Roberta McCain, the mother of the late GOP Sen. John McCain, died Monday. She was 108.

A spokesperson for daughter-in-law Cindy McCain announced the death. 

Roberta McCain was a strong supporter her son John's White House bids, including his 2008 run, when he became the GOP nominee. 

She attended the 2008 Republican National Convention, where her son credited "her love of life, her deep interest in the world, her strength, and her belief we are all meant to use our opportunities to make ourselves useful to our country. I wouldn't be here tonight but for the strength of her character," according to the Associated Press. 

Roberta McCain married in 1933, at age 20, to John McCain Jr., a Navy ensign. He rose to the rank of four-star admiral before retiring in 1972. 

The late Sen. McCain was held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam while his father was commander in chief of Pacific forces.

Roberta Wright was born Feb. 7, 1912, in Muskogee, Okla., where her father was a businessman. The family moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1920s, according to the wire service.

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