SCENE + HEARD: Daily Post John McCain, Vietnam War Hero and Senator Dies at 81 By Staff Monday, August 27, 2018 11:22 AM John McCain, naval aviator in the Vietnam war, Senator and two-time presidential hopeful died Saturday at his home in Arizona from a malignant brain tumor. He was 81. McCain will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and receive a full dress funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral. Read his full obituary here as well as this post from his daughter Meghan.