US senator John McCain, a celebrated war hero known for reaching across the aisle in an increasingly divided America, died Saturday after losing a battle to brain cancer, his office said. He was 81.

"Senator John Sidney McCain III died at 4:28pm on August 25, 2018. With the senator when he passed were his wife Cindy and their family," his office said in a statement.

"At his death, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 60 years."

In July 2017, McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.