WASHINGTON
President Barack Obama led a gathering of dignitaries, senior officials, and scores of mourners Saturday for the deceased son of Vice President Joe Biden.
“Beau Biden was an original,” Obama said during an emotional eulogy for the junior Biden. “He was a good man -- a man of character, a man who loved deeply and was loved in return.”
Beau Biden, 46, died last Saturday of brain cancer. He was Delaware’s attorney general since 2007, and many thought he would follow in the strong political footsteps of his father.
But he suffered a stroke in 2010 and was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy, but the illness returned earlier this year.
A thousand people attended the packed funeral mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wilmington, Delaware, including Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.
Army General Raymond Odierno, the former top military official in Iraq where Beau served in the National Guard, remarked on his "natural charisma", and said he was "selfless to a fault".
Beau’s tragic death marks the second child lost by the American Vice President. A car crash in 1972 claimed the lives of his first wife and infant daughter. Beau, then three years old, was also in the car with his brother Hunter, and both were injured in the accident.
Coldplay front man Chris Martin volunteered to perform at Saturday’s ceremony after he heard from a family friend that Beau Biden was an avid fan, according to a White House official. He played "Til Kingdom Come" during Saturday's ceremony.
Beau is survived by his wife, Hallie, and his two children, Hunter and Natalie.
A private burial will be held later Saturday.
