Madelyn Dunham, Obama's Grandmother, Dies

Madelyn Payne Dunham, the maternal grandmother of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, died Monday at the age of 86 after a battle with cancer, his campaign announced Monday. The Illinois senator has called his grandmother one of the "cornerstones" of his life.

In a statement released with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama called his grandmother "a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances."

Dunham had been too ill to appear with her grandson on the campaign trail, but he spoke of her often, particularly at crucial moments in his political career.