Barack Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Dunham - who helped his single-mother take care of him and shaped his values - died peacefully at her home in Honolulu after a battle with cancer.

Obama announced the news of his 86-year-old grandmother’s demise from the campaign trail in Charlotte, N.C. In a joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng, he said Dunham died in sleep late Sunday night. Obama went ahead with his campaign appearances, as the family said a private ceremony would be held later.

Only a week back, the Democratic presidential candidate had left the campaign trail for a 22-hour trip to Hawaii to say goodbye to her. He said the decision was easy to make, telling CBS that he “got there too late” when his mother died of ovarian cancer in 1995 at age 53, and wanted to avoid that mistake again.

After the trip he was flooded with cards, flowers and well-wishes from around the country, and he regularly thanked crowds at his campaign rallies for their prayers.

At an outdoor rally under drizzly rain, as tears rolled down his cheeks and his voice choked up, Obama said: “This obviously is a little bit of a bittersweet time for me.” Remembering his grandmother, whom he affectionately called “Toot”, he said: “She was somebody who was a very humble person and a very plain-spoken person. She was one of those ‘quiet heroes’ that we have all across America. They’re not famous. ... But each and every day they work hard.”

Republican John McCain and his wife, Cindy McCain, issued condolences to Obama in a statement saying: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to them as they remember and celebrate the life of someone who had such a profound impact in their lives.”