John McCain, two-time presidential hopeful and senator for three decades, died on Aug. 25 at the age of 81. He was surrounded by friends and family in his home in Cornville, Ariz.

Senator McCain had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in July 2017. According specialists at the Mayo Clinic, McCain had been receiving chemotherapy and radiation to combat the illness, until he released a statement shortly before his death reporting that he had ended treatment.

Throughout the sickness, McCain was still involved with Congress. In July 2017, McCain cast an influential vote with Democrats and two other GOP senators to push back President Trump’s goal of repealing the Affordable Care Act. He retained his senate seat up until his death; he will be succeeded by attorney Jon Kyl.

As McCain served his country, both in America and Vietnam, he became a revered American hero and a fixture in politics.

In the last two years, the six-term Arizona senator had proved himself to be one of the few Republicans willing to stand up against the president, truly living up to his reputation as a maverick.

“I don’t give a damn what the president of the United States wants to do or what anybody else wants to do,” Senator McCain said, responding to Trump’s position on torture in November 2016. “We will not waterboard. We will not torture.”

It’s no secret that McCain and Trump have had a tumultuous relationship, stemming from Trump’s criticism of the war hero in 2015.

“He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured,” then-candidate Trump said. “I like people that weren’t captured.”

According to a USA Today poll, around 66 percent of adults believe that John McCain was rightly portrayed as a war hero, enduring torture and solitary confinement for five and a half years during the Vietnam War.

Senior Rebecca Hackett joins the majority.

“(I’m) not a super big fan of his policies, but I have a lot of respect for him because of his military service,” Hackett said. “I think he was a brave guy.”